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EDWARD STRATEMEYER'S BOOKS 


©IS (Slorg Scries 

Cloth Illustrated Price per volume $ 1.25 . 

UNDER DEWEY AT MANILA Or the War Fortunes of a Castaway 

A YOUNG VOLUNTEER IN CUBA Or Fighting for the Single 
Star. 

FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS Or Under Schley on the Brooklyn. 
UNDER OTIS IN THE PHILIPPINES Or a Young Officer in the 
Tropics. 

THE CAMPAIGN OF THE JUNGLE Or Under Lawton through 
Luzon. 

(Efje Bounti to Succeed Scries 

Three volumes Cloth Illustrated Price per volume $1.00. 
RICHARD DARE’S VENTURE Or Striking Out for Himself. 
OLIVER BRIGHT'S SEARCH Or The M)stery of a Mine. 

TO ALASKA FOR GOLD Or The Fortune Hunters of the Yukon. 

Efje SJjtp anti SJjore Scries 

Three volumes Cloth Illustrated Price per volume $ 1.00 . 

THE LAST CRUISE OF THE SPITFIRE Or Luke Foster's Strang* 
Voyage. 

REUBEN STONE’S DISCOVERY Or The Young Miller of Torrent 
Bend. 

TRUE TO HIMSELF Or Roger Strongs Struggle for Place. 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


OR 


Two Boys’ Adventures in 
South Africa 


BY 

l/ 

EDWARD STRATEMEYER 

M' 

AUTHOR OF “UNDER DEWEY AT MANILA,” “UNDER OTIS IN 
THE PHILIPPINES,” “THE CAMPAIGN OF THE JUNGLE” 
“BOUND TO SUCCEED SERIES,” “SHIP AND 
SHORE SERIES,” ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED BY A. B. SHUTE 


« * e 

> > 

? •> 3 


BOSTON 

LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS 


1900 


43535 


Library of Con^ir«ta 

• wi U*p»(i Hcceiveo 

SEP 5 1900 

Copyright entry 

( 2 *U, 6 >/ 9 &C> 

S£C0N0 COfV. 

Oriivefert t e 

ORDER DIVISION, 

SEP 7 1900 


c 


dOPYRIGHT, 1900 , BY LEE AND SHEPARD. 


All Eights Reserved. 


Between Boer and Briton. 




Norfoooti ^ress 

J. S. Cushing & Co. — Berwick & Smith 
Norwood Mass. U.S.A. 




PREFACE 


“Between Boer and Briton” relates, pri- 
marily, the adventures of two boys, one an Ameri- 
can and the other English, before and during the 
first eight months of the war between Great Britain 
and the two South African Republics. 

In the tale are followed out the movements of 
both sides in and around Ladysmith, at Kimberley, 
in the vicinity of Maf eking, and during the victori- 
ous march of Lord Roberts on Pretoria, with side 
pictures of General Cronje’s plucky stand at Paarde- 
berg Drift, and General Joubert’s fierce repulses of 
the repeated advances of General Buller. 

But the tale is not all of war, nor was it meant to 
be, and in it I have tried to give my young read- 
ers a true picture of life, as it is to-day, on the 
ostrich and cattle farms and at the immense mines 
at Johannesberg. The Boer has been pictured as he 
is, with all his goodness and all his failings, and it is 
my hope that the picture of the South African Eng- 
lishman is equally true to life. 


IT 


PREFACE 


In the writing of the historical portions of this 
work, the best military authorities on both sides 
have been consulted, as well as the reports of some 
of the American experts who were at the various 
scenes of battle. It is hoped, therefore, that the 
story is free from errors of a sufficient magnitude 
to hurt its general usefulness. 

What the outcome will be of this war, which has 
already cost the Boers nearly all they possess, and 
which has taxed Great Britain’s resources as they 
have never been taxed before, is still a question of 
the future. Should the Boers bow to the inevitable, 
it is to be hoped that our Anglo-Saxon cousins across 
the sea will remember that it is the height of chivalry 
to be generous to a fallen foe, especially when that 
foe has proved himself so worthy of one’s steel. 

EDWARD STRATEMEYER. 

Newark, N.J., 

July 1, 1900. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 

I. The Ranch on the Brazos . . . 1 

II. Dutch Hendrik is outwitted ... 10 

III. A Letter from the Transvaal . . 19 

IV. Two Chances to sell out .... 27 

V. Dave helps an Enemy and hears Some- 
thing of Importance .... 36 

VI. About South Africa, and an Attack in 

the Dark 45 

VII. Leaving the Ranch 55 

VIII. Preparations for Departure ... 64 

IX. Something about the Transvaal and its 

People 73 

X. Life on the “ Golden Eagle ” . . .86 

XI. The Arrival at Cape Town ... 95 

XII. The Xelsons discuss the Situation • 104 

XIII. The Start from Cape Town . . .114 

XIV. Dave and the Wild Ostrich . . . 124 

XV. Pretoria and President Krueger . . 134 

XVI. Settling down on the Ostrich Farm . 143 


VI 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 

XX. 

XXI. 

XXII. 

XXIII. 

XXIV. 

XXV. 

XXVI. 

XXVII. 

XXVIII. 

XXIX. 

XXX. 

XXXI. 

XXXII. 

XXXIII. 

XXXIV. 

XXXV. 

XXXVI. 


The Beginning of a Grand Hunt . 
Caught in a Tropical Storm . 

Will and the Water-bucks 
The Three Dutch Soldiers 
Into the Forest and out . 

A Lion and a Gemsbok Hunt . 

The Outbreak of the War 
An Old Enemy again to the Front 
Into a Dutch Prison Pen . 

Opening Battles of the War . 

A Fight and an Escape . 

The Deserted Homestead » 

News that Roko brought . 
Magersfontein and the Tugela River . 
Dave hears Painful News 
General Cronje’s Last Stand . 

Spion Ivop and Life in Ladysmith . 

The Relief of Ladysmith . 

On to Mafeking 

The Fall of Pretoria — Conclusion 


PAGE 

153 

161 

174 

184 

194 

204 

214 

224 

234 

244 

254 

264 

275 

285 

296 

305 

316 

326 

336 

346 




LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

“For one brief second Dave’s heart seemed to stop beating” 

Frontispiece 

PAGE 

“ ‘ Dutch Henry ! 1 burst from Dave’s lips ” . . . .38 

“ Once he did get his head out ” 93 

“ ‘ My own Cousin Dave ! ’” 134 

“ With frantic haste he pulled at the branch ”... 176 

“ ‘ Drop it, or I’ll fire ! ’” 236 

“ As the two came closer, Dave recognized the newcomers ” . 276 

“ Into this plunged his horse with the youth still on his back ” 320 


vii 






BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


CHAPTER I 

THE RANCH ON THE BRAZOS 

“Well, that settles it. There is no longer any 
money in buying and selling cattle on the hoof in 
this part of the state, and I might rather go out of 
business on my own account now than be forced out 
by the Combination later on.” 

The speaker was Mr. Martin Nelson, a tall, well- 
built man of forty-five years of age, with a ruddy 
face and a closely cropped brown beard. He sat 
at the little desk in the sitting room of his ranch 
home, on the north bank of the Brazos River. Be- 
fore him lay several sheets of paper well filled with 
figures, which he had been studying with much 
dissatisfaction. 

“Something wrong again, father?” came the 
question, from a sturdy youth of sixteen, who sat 


2 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


on a bench near the wide open window, reading a 
late issue of a Galveston newspaper. 

“Yes, Dave, something is very much wrong. 
Here are my balance sheets for the past year’s busi- 
ness. We have run behind something like two 
thousand dollars, not to mention our loss through 
that prairie fire in June.” 

The youth threw down the newspaper and came 
over to his father’^ side. “ That’s too bad, — espe- 
cially after the way we have worked. Why, we 
bought and sold more cattle than ever this year.” 

“ So we did ; but you know how that Darnell 
Combination cut prices. I had to meet them or 
go out of business, and here is the result,” and Mr. 
Nelson heaved a long sigh. 

“And what do you think the prospects are for 
next season ? ” asked Dave, as he began to study 
the sheets his father shoved toward him. 

“ The prospects are worse. The Combination 
announces another cut of one-quarter cent per 
pound.” 

“ Another cut ! And they are already selling at 
cost ! ” cried the boy. 

“ They are bound to drive me out of the business, 
Dave, — that is the long and short of it. They drove 


THE RANCH ON THE BRAZOS 


3 


Gladby out over in Stonewall County, and Mueller 
in Saltville, and now they are after me. The Com- 
bination’s policy seems to be one of rule or ruin.” 

“ It’s a shame, father, a gross shame ! And after 
you have spent nearly fifteen years in building up 
the business ! Can’t you fight them in the courts 
for cutting in on that grazing land contract ? That 
wasn’t exactly legal.” 

“ I might, but it would take more money than I 
can spare, and the case might drag along for years. 
The main thing is they can sell their cattle for 
what they please, and buy for what they please. 
After they have me out of the way, you can rest 
assured they will fix prices to suit themselves.” 

“ Cannot we get our old customers to stay by us, 
— I mean by letting them know exactly how mat- 
ters stand ? ” 

Mr. Nelson shook his head. “No, I tried that 
with Willowell and with Umbler, but both of them 
said they must look out for their own interests, 
and buy and sell as cheaply as possible. The whole 
thing is here in a nutshell: I can’t fight the Com- 
bination because it is too powerful for me, and 
so ” — the cattle dealer’s voice dropped — “I’ve 
got to give up business.” 


4 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


Dave Nelson banged his foot savagely against the 
side of the black walnut desk, thus bestowing a 
mental kick upon the obnoxious Combination. “ If 
you give up the business, what will you do, — give 
up the ranch too ? ” 

“ I presume so — for the ranch won’t pay with- 
out the cattle. I felt this was coming when first 
the Combination opened up in this territory, but I 
did not imagin6 they would press me so fast.” 

“ How Hendrik Kneip will chuckle when he hears 
we have been forced out,” muttered Dave, after 
an awkward pause. “ He is as much responsible as 
anybody for the Combination’s coming here — and 
that, too, after you taught him the business and 
gave him a position for years at a good salary. If 
ever a man was ungrateful it is that Dutchman.” 

“ Yes, Dutch Henry has been the wolf to bite the 
hand that fed him,” answered Mr. Nelson, with in- 
creased bitterness of tone. “I took him in as a 
poor emigrant boy and made a man of him, and this 
is my reward.” The cattle dealer began to walk 
the uncovered sitting room floor. “But as he has 
been dishonest with me, so will he be some day 
with the Combination, and instead of letting him 
go, as I did, they will probably put him in prison.” 


THE RANCH ON THE BRAZOS 


5 


“ If you give up the business and sell the ranch, 
have you any idea what you will do next?” asked 
Dave, after another pause, during which Mr. Nelson 
kicked off his slippers and slipped on his riding 
boots. 

“Not the slightest, Dave. In the past, and 
especially since your mother’s death, I have given 
the cattle business my entire attention. It was my 
dream to make it the largest in this section of the 
state, and to take you in as an equal partner as 
soon as you became of age. Now that dream is 
shattered, and I don’t know what I shall do,” ^id 
Mr. Nelson bit his lip and turned away to the door 
to hide his emotion. 

“ Don’t you worry about me, father,” came quickly 
from the son. u I’ll land on my feet right enough. 
But it’s a shame for a man of your age to be knocked 
out, as the saying goes. I’d just like to give 
Dutch Henry a piece of my mind. He deserves 
it.” 

“ Perhaps ; but quarrelling won’t help the situa- 
tion, Dave. If I give up I shall do so peaceably, 
and with as little loss as possible,” concluded Mr. 
Nelson, as he walked through the kitchen of the 
ranch home to the grassy dooryard beyond. Here 


6 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


a coal-black mare stood tethered beside a chaparral 
hedge. Freeing the animal, he mounted her, and 
was soon disappearing in the direction of the cattle 
ranges up the river. 

Left to himself, Dave continued to study the 
balance sheets for some time, and even put down 
a few figures of his own. Since the departure of 
Hendrik Kneip from the place he had been his 
father’s chief business assistant, both around the 
ranch and on the ranges. He knew as much about 
cattle as the average cow puncher, and could ride 
with any of them. Although but sixteen, he 
looked older, and his frame and constitution were 
as hardy as outdoor life could make them. From 
his sixth to his fourteenth years he had attended 
school regularly, and had graduated at one of the 
leading academies of Austin, the state capital. 
But though he loved to read, and occasionally to 
study, he had no desire for anything winch smacked 
of a commercial or professional life. “ I hate any- 
thing that boxes a fellow up inside of four walls,” 
he had said more than once. 

Mr. Martin Nelson was one of two brothers. 
He was of English parentage, his folks having 
emigrated from Surrey to New Yo k some ten 


THE RANCH ON THE BRAZOS 


7 


years after their marriage, and when Martin’s 
brother Ralph was seven years of age. Martin 
Nelson had been born three years later, so that 
there was exactly ten years’ difference between the 
two brothers’ ages. 

From New York the Nelsons had gone West to 
Missouri, and here Martin Nelson had grown up 
on his parents’ farm, and had married a pretty 
German-American girl named Mina Orbutt. In 
the meantime Ralph, of a roving, happy-go-lucky 
disposition, had gone, first to sea, and then to 
Cape Town, Africa, where he had settled down 
and married among some English friends of his 
parents. 

In the same year that Dave was born his two 
grandparents' on his father’s side died. At this time 
there was a great boom in Texas land and cattle, and 
as soon as affairs could be settled up, Mr. Martin 
Nelson emigrated thither, taking his wife, her aged 
father, and his little son with him. His money 
was invested in a tract of several thousand acres 
and a fine herd of cattle, and the family were .soon 
on the highroad to prosperity. 

Those sunshiny days of his early boyhood were 
ones whicl Dave was destined never to forget. 


8 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


He had the whole range of the ranch home, the 
big barns and cattle sheds, all to himself, and when 
he was not getting into mischief at one place or 
another, then he could be found sitting on his 
grandfather’s knee, learning German in his own 
childish fashion, or listening with wide-open eyes 
to wonderful stories of the Fatherland over the 
ocean. To please his father-in-law, Mr. Nelson 
also learned something of the German’s tongue, 
and it became a common thing, at the dinner table 
and elsewhere, to hear one member of the family 
speak in English and another answer in German, 
or vice versa. 

Then came a day of gloom, when Mrs. Nelson 
contracted a high fever, for which the two doctors 
who were hastily summoned from miles away could 
do nothing. The beloved wife and mother lingered 
but three weeks in sickness and then died. She 
was buried in a pretty little cemetery by the river 
side, and two years later her aged father was placed . 
beside her, and Mr. Nelson and Dave were left 
alone in the world. 

The grief of husband and son had been keen, 
but hard outdoor work had gradually taken away 
much of the bitterness. Yet every spring the 


THE RANCH ON THE BRAZOS 


9 


twin graves by the river were fixed up with fresh 
flowers, and the trailing vines were rearranged with 
tenderest care. To those whose hearts are big 
the loved ones gone before are not easily for- 
gotten. 


CHAPTER II 


DUTCH HENDRIK IS OUTWITTED 

“Massah Dabe! Massah Dabe ! Wot’s de 
mattah? Yo’ don’t generally go to sleep in de 
middle ob de day like dis.” 

Dave raised bis head slowly from his arms on 
the desk, where he had had his face hidden for 
the best part of quarter of an hour. “ I’m not 
asleep, Guffy; I was thinking, that’s all.” 

“Yo’ dun been t’inkin’ mighty sober-like, Mas- 
sah Dabe,” said the stalwart colored man, who had 
just come in from one of the outer sheds with a 
mess of sweet potatoes in a dish-pan. “ I dun 
hopes wid all my heart dar ain’t nuffin gone 
wrong.” 

“Nothing very unusual, Guffy. I was thinking 
of how that Combination is pushing father to the 
wall.” 

“ Dat dar Combination ought to be sunk in de 
middle ob de Gulf ob Mexico ! ” cried the colored 


10 


DUTCH HENDRIK IS OUTWITTED 


11 


cook, wrathfully. “ And it ought to be sunk 
right on top ob dat dar Dutch Henry, too.” 

“ I quite agree with you. But as we can’t sink 
either the Combination or that ungrateful Dutch- 
man, we must do something else.” 

“If yo’ pap war some men, he’d go huntin’ dat 
Dutchman wid his rifle. De skunk desarbs it.” 

“Father doesn’t believe in violence or in lynch 
law, — and neither do I, for that matter. But it’s 
a pity he didn’t have Dutch Henry arrested instead 
of letting him go, when that cattle was missed two 
years ago. By the way, what of the cattle that 
wandered down the creek ; did Pepper round them 
up?” 

“No, his horse dun went lame, and he had to 
let them go.” 

“We can’t afford to lose any heads just now. 
I’ll go after them myself, and at once,” and Dave 
started for the door. 

“Won’t you stay fo’ dinnah? I’ll hab it ready 
in half an hour.” 

“No, I’ll take a cold bite and be off,” responded 
the boy. 

In less than ten minutes he was on his way, 
astride of a wiry mustang he had nicknamed 


12 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


Lightning. The animal had been broken by him- 
self, and he felt as safe in the saddle as he would 
have felt in a parlor chair. 

Over the range they flew, past the long chaparral 
hedge and bit of prairie, down to where the low- 
drooping pecan and cottonwood trees lined the 
high river bank. The day was a perfect one, the 
sun shining down from a cloudless sky. It had 
showered less than twenty-four hours before, lay- 
ing low the dust of the bare spots, and giving a 
new lustre to all that was green. 

The cattle that Dave was after were four good- 
sized cows which Mr. Nelson had purchased from 
a poor farmer who had wished very much to sell 
them. They had not yet been branded with their 
familiar N and two stars, and the boy knew that 
if they once got beyond the Nelson range, they 
might never be recovered. 

44 If we’ve got to get out of the business, we 
might as well get out with as much money as we 
can,” mused Dave, as he sped along, taking to a 
trail which led along the river bank, back of the 
fringe of trees. 44 Even with the price away down 
those cows are worth fifty or sixty dollars. Oh, 
dear ! I suppose if father is forced to sell at a 


DUTCH HENDRIK IS OUTWITTED 


13 


sacrifice he won’t realize ten thousand dollars, 
although the ranch and stock are worth more than 
double.” 

Dave had covered a distance of half a mile 
when, on reaching a bend where a second trail 
crossed the first, he heard a well-known whistle, 
and looking up, saw a neighbor riding toward 
him, holding up several letters and newspapers. 

“Was just over to town and thought I’d bring 
your mail for you,” said Mr. Crosby, and as he 
came closer he handed over the packet. 

“ Thank you, Mr. Crosby. By the way, did 
you see anything of four stray cows as you came 
along?” 

“Four stray cows? No, but I saw Dutch Henry 
driving four cows up to the Forks.” 

“ What ! ” cried Dave, excitedly. “ Four short 
horns, with white patches ? ” 

“ Exactly. I kind o’ thought they might be the 
cows your father bought from old^Ned Buckley.” 

“ They must be the same. They got away from 
Pepper, and now Dutch Henry is trying to drive 
them over to the Combination’s range.” 

“ Ain’t they branded, Dave ? ” 

“No, we haven’t had time to do it — we were 


14 BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 

so busy fixing up the shed that blew down in 
that wind storm last week. Which way was he 
bound ? ” 

The neighbor pointed out the direction, and 
without loss of time Dave plunged off once more, 
urging his mustang along at topmost speed. For 
the time being the letters and newspapers were 
forgotten, and he jammed them into his jacket 
pocket for inspection later on. It was bad enough 
to have Hendrik Kneip working against them in 
a business way ; it was still worse to suffer the 
loss of so many live stock at his hands. 

On and on went the youth, around the bend of 
the river, and then up a small hill, the top of 
which was fringed with rocks and cacti. Beyond 
the hill was another valley, and almost in the 
centre of this he beheld the man he was after, 
astride of a bronco, and driving the four cows 
with all the speed the tired creatures could com- 
mand. 

Dutch Henry, as he had been commonly called 
from childhood, was attending strictly to business, 
and did not, therefore, discover Dave until the 
youth was less than a hundred yards behind him. 
He was a burly fellow, weighing all of two hun- 


DUTCH HENDRIK IS OUTWITTED 


15 


dred pounds, with a pudgy face, squinting blue 
eyes and red hair, and a tangled red beard. As 
Dave came closer he saw that the Dutchman was 
armed with both a shotgun and a bowie-knife. 

“ What business have you to drive off our 
cows?” demanded Dave, who, unlike his milder- 
tempered father, believed in coming directly to 
the point upon all occasions. 

“Your cows?” said Kneip, slowly, and with a 
strong Dutch accent. “ Who say dese vos your 
cows ? ” 

“I say so. They are the cows father bought 
from old Ned Buckley, and you know it.” 

“Look here, ton’t you talk mit me like dot,” 
growled Dutch Henry, as he swung his shotgun 
around to the front. “ I find dese cows town by der 
rifer, und I dink da vos our cows.” 

“You know better than that, Henry,” replied 
Dave, undaunted by the handling of the gui*. 
“You know this stock as well as I do. They 
haven’t your brand on them.” 

“ Veil, da haven’t your prand neider. How you 
going to brove da vos your cows, hey ? ” 

“ I can prove it by Ned Buckley, and by Mr. 
Crosby, as well as by Pepper and half a dozen 


16 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


others. You just stop driving them right now, or 
I’ll make it warm for you.” 

At these words the Dutchman scowled ominously. 
He felt that now he had been discovered he was 
cornered. “ If you vos sure da been your cows you 
can haf dem,” he muttered. “ Put you needn’t git 
so mad apout it.” 

“ 1 reckon I have a right to get mad, Hendrik 
Kneip. For over a year you have been doing your 
best to ruin my father and drive him out of busi- 
ness.” 

“ It ain’t so ! ” 

“ It is so. The Darnell Combination would never 
have come into this section if it hadn’t been for you. 
It was you who went down to Galveston and got 
Mr. Darnell to come here and look over the ground 
personally and filled him with stories about the 
enormous profits my father was making out of his 
holdings, and so he came here instead of going 
farther to the southwest. And you did that, too,' 
after my father had faised you and taught you the 
business, and paid you all that you were worth to 
him, and more.” 

“Your fader discharged me.” 

“ Only after he found that you were dishonest — 


DUTCH HENDRIK IS OUTWITTED 


17 


that you had reported eight cows drowned in the 
river and then had sold them in secret to some Okla- 
homa boomers.” 

“ Dot ain’t so — dem cows vos drowned,” snapped 
the burly ranchman. 

“ It is so, and father can prove it, now. If you 
are not careful of your doings here, we’ll lay the 
whole case before Mr. Darnell, and then I reckon he 
won’t want you much longer in his service.” 

The words were spoken before Dave had calcu- 
lated their possible effect* Scarcely had he finished 
when Hendrik Kneip caught his shotgun by the 
barrel and raised the stock threateningly over the 
youth’s head. 

“ So dot is vot you vill do, hey ? ” he roared. “ I 
vill show you vot I can do. Dare ! ” 

The was swung around, and the end of the 
stock grazed Dave’s right ear. But now the bronco 
reared up, nearly unseating the Dutchman. Dave’s 
mustang closed in, and in a twinkle the youth had 
jerked the gun from his enemy’s grasp. 

“Gif be dot gun pack, Dafe Nelson ! ” 

“ I will not — and you had better keep your 
distance,” returned the youth, as he urged his 
mustang in the direction the cows had wandered. 


18 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“ I can shoot as straight as you can, and perhaps 
straighter.” 

The Dutchman muttered something in his native 
tongue which was far from complimentary to the 
boy who had thus outwitted him. “Vos you going 
to steal mine gun ? ” he asked presently. 

“No, I’ll not steal it, but I’ll take it home with 
me, and you can get it any time you have a mind to 
call. After this I shall go armed myself, so you 
had better beware of what you do.” 

There was a pause, during which each looked the 
other squarely in the eyes. The Dutchman was the 
first to drop his gaze. He grated his snaggy, yellow 
teeth. 

“You haf der trop on me, so I will leaf you,” he 
snarled. “ Put I ain’t tone mit you yet, remember 
dot. I vill get more as square some tay ! ” And 
shaking his fist at Dave, he wheeled around his 
bronco and galloped away, the crest of the next hill 
soon hiding him from view. 




CHAPTER III 


A LETTER FROM THE TRANSVAAL 

Left to himself, Dave slung the newly acquired 
shotgun over his shoulder and proceeded without 
loss of time to round up the four cows and start 
them on the back trail for the corral. • “ They 
shan’t get away again, at least not until they are 
well branded,” he muttered to himself. He kept 
a sharp lookout for a possible reappearance of 
Hendrik Kneip, but that unworthy individual did 
not show himself. 

As he neared home the youth brought forth the 
letters and newspapers Mr. Crosby had given him. 
The papers were such as they were in the habit 
of getting regularly. The letters were three in 
number, two for his father, evidently business com- 
munications, and one for Dave himself. The latter 
bore a curious foreign stamp, and was post-marked 
Pretoria, Cape Town, New York, and Seymour, the 
latter being the county seat and nearest post-office. 

“ Hullo, what can this be ? ” he mused. “ Can it 


19 


20 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


be a letter from Uncle Ralph? It certainly looks 
like it. And yet it’s queer he should write to me 
instead of to father.” 

Dave was as curious as most boys, but his father 
had drilled him in to follow the maxim of “ busi- 
ness first and pleasure afterward,” and so, before 
opening the letter, he saw to it that the cattle 
were properly corralled and that Lightning re- 
ceived the meal that was coming to him. 

“ Why, Dabe, whar you dun git dat shotgun ? ” 
came from the negro cook, as soon as the youth 
neared the ranch kitchen. 

“I took it away from Dutch Henry,” was the 
quiet reply, but there was a twinkle in Dave's eye 
as he spoke. 

“Tuk it away from dat man ! Wot yo’ mean, 
chile ? Did yo’ hab a fight ? ” 

“ It was hardly a fight, Guffy. He started to 
hit me with the stock and I pulled the gun away 
from him.” 

“ Good f o’ yo’ ! An’ den — ? ” 

“Then I told him to keep his distance, — and 
he did.” 

“ Good ! good ! ” The big negro slapped his 
thigh with his broad palm. “By golly, but I 


A LETTER FROM THE TRANSVAAL 


21 


would hab like to see yo’ do it ! Tell me all 
about it, won’t yo’ ? ” 

Dave’s story was a short one. “ And now, lias 
father returned ? ” he said, after he had finished. 

“No, sah, — an’ I don’t expect him till sundown.” 

“ Then I’ll take dinner alone. The ride has 
made me tremendously hungry, in spite of the bite 
I took before I left,” said the boy, and he was 
soon seated at the long dining room table, where, 
during busy times, ten to twelve ranchmen and cow 
punchers were wont to congregate. The table was 
covered with nothing more elaborate than white 
oilcloth, but this Guffy prided himself upon keep- 
ing as clean as the finest of linen. Of china there 
was very little, the crockeryware being of the sub- 
stantial kind meant for rough usage. 

While the negro cook was bringing in the mid- 
day meal of beef stew, boiled sweet potatoes, 
custard pie, and coffee, Dave tore open the letter 
addressed to himself. As was natural he turned 
first to the signature, to make sure that it was 
from his Uncle Ralph. He 1 was very much sur- 
prised to read instead, “ From your Cousin, Will 
Nelson.” 

“ Cousin Will ! ” he murmured. “ Why, I had 


22 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


almost forgotten that Uncle Ralph had a son. And 

yet, come to think of it, he must be just about my 

♦ 

age, for father said he and I were born in the 
same year. It’s a wonder he never wrote to me 
before ; but perhaps he’s as poor a hand at writ- 
ing letters as I am.” 

“ Bettah eat yo’ dinner, Dabe, befo’ it gits cold,” 
remonstrated the colored cook ; but the youth 
hardly heard him, so interested was he in the 
communication, which ran as follows : — 

“Pretoria, South African Republic, 
“ August 15, 1897. 

“ Dear Cousin David : I rather imagine you 
will be surprised to receive this from me, as neither 
of us has ever written to the other. But I think 
it is a beastly shame that two cousins can’t keep 
up a correspondence, even if, as in our case, one is 
an American and the other a son of old England. 
So I am going to pen you a long letter, and I 
want to tell you right now that I shall expect just 
as long a letter in return. 

“ I think father wrote to your father that we 
had left Cape Town and gone up to Johannes- 
burg. There was a great rush up into the Trans- 


A LETTER FROM THE TRANSVAAL 


23 


vaal, as most folks call this republic, on account 
of the opening of some new gold mines just out- 
side of Johannesburg. Our whole family went with 
the crowd, taking the railway as far as it ran at 
that time, which was Kroonstad, in the Orange 
Free State, and finishing the journey by trekking, 
as we call it (which simply means pulling, in 
Dutch), to Johannesburg in a big wagon drawn by 
ten pairs of oxen. We took some furniture and 
all of our clothing, and the party consisted of 
father and mother, myself and little sister Alice, 
who is six years younger than I. A Boer driver 
managed the turnout, assisted by two of the laziest 
Hottentots you can possibly imagine. 

“When we arrived father found the new mines 
even better than had been anticipated, and he has 
now a responsible position with one company and 
owns a small share in another company just start- 
ing. At first we settled down in Johannesburg, 
but the town is far from being either clean or 
healthy (the Boer government will pay for no im- 
provements), so that on account of mother’s deli- 
cate health, we had to take a place outside. There 
was a Dutchman who wished to sell out his 
ostrich farm, located near Pretoria, and as the 


24 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


price was right, father bought it up ; and here 
we are and likely to stay for a long time to come. 

“Pretoria, which is the capital of the Transvaal, 
as no doubt you already know by studying your 
geography (of course you have geography lessons 
even in far-away Texas), is about thirty-four miles 
from Johannesburg, but our farm is less than eigh- 
teen miles away from the new mines, so that father 
rides the distance over the veldt on horseback 
night and morning. The veldt is a good bit like 
what I imagine your western prairies to be, only 
it is broken up by what we call kopjes, little 
stony hills that stick up like whitecaps on a 
stormy sea. 

“ Our farm is not a large one for this country, as 
it contains less than a thousand morgen, — a morgen 
being two acres, — but it is very prettily situated, 
and has running water, — something you do not 
readily find in some parts out here. Big and little, 
we have one hundred and sixty ostriches, and as 
the price of feathers is going up we hope to do 
very well during the coming season. We also 
keep some cattle and a small flock of sheep. I 
do the overseeing and have a Hottentot man and 
two Kafir boys to help me. The Hottentot is 


»A LETTER FROM THE TRANSVAAL 


25 


married, and his wife and daughter do the most 
of our housework. The man isn’t as heavy as I 
am, but his wife, Suma, and his daughter, Lola, 
are as fat as butter, and each weighs fourteen stone 

— nearly two hundred pounds. 

“I attended school until we left Cape Town, and 
now I am studying all I can on my own hook. I 
have taken up mineralogy and hope some day to 
go into the mining business with father. In the 
school out here they teach nothing but Dutch, 
although there are fully as many English and 
Americans as natives here, and by natives I mean 
the Boers, for the Kafirs and Hottentots don’t 
count, although they outnumber all the others 
put together. The Boers are awfully jealous of 
the English, although they hardly say so openly. 
They act the part of a regular dog in the manger 

— not caring to develop the country themselves, 
and not wanting foreigners to do it either. Father 
thinks that some day the march of progress will 
wipe out the Boer government altogether. 

“I think I have written about enough for the 
present, so will bring this letter to a close. Please 
answer soon, and when you write tell me all about 
yourself and your cattle ranch. I wish we were 


26 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


not so far apart, so that we could visit one another. 
Or, better yet, I wish your cattle ranch was located 
out here, then we might be chums. I had several 
first-rate chums down in Cape Town, but they 
were all left behind, and the nearest English boy 
to me now lives two miles away. 

“ Mother, father, Alice, and myself all send our 
love to you and to Uncle Martin. Father will 
write soon to your father, and would like to get 
a letter himself when your father feels like writ- 
ing it. 

“With best wishes, 

“From your cousin, 

“Will Nelson. 

“ P. S* Address letters to Pretoria, as that is 
the only reliable post-office we have in this neigh- 
borhood, and we go over to the capital several times 
a we^k for supplies. W. N.” 


CHAPTER IV 


TWO CHANCES TO SELL OUT 

Dave read the letter through twice before he laid 
it down, and even then he placed it where he could 
glance over the pages while eating the dinner, which 
was now more than half cold. It was like a glimpse 
from another world. 

“ Why didn’t we start to write to each other be- 
fore ? ” he half muttered, as he began to make away 
with the stew. “ I’ll wager Cousin Will is a bang- 
up fellow, — his letter proves it. And so he has 
settled down on an ostrich farm. I wonder if that 
is anything like a Texas cattle ranch ? It must he, 
for he says they keep cattle, and sheep, too. I’d 
like to see those Hottentots and Kafirs. I^ut I 
wouldn’t like those Boers — not if they were like 
Dutch Henry,” he concluded, his face darkening sud- 
denly. “ But they can’t be all like him,” he added. 

Dave placed the letter on the desk, along with 
the other letters and the newspapers. “ I’ll answer 
that to-morrow,” he thought. “Will is too inter- 
27 


28 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


esting a writer to let drop. I’ll tell him all about 
cow punching and what fun we have at a round-up, 
and about breaking in the mustangs and broncos, 
and about that big wind storm, and the grass fire. 
I guess I can make as long a letter as he made, if I 
set out to do it.” 

But just now there was plenty of work to do, 
and leaving the ranch the youth strode down to 
the immense cattle sheds, where in winter hundreds 
of heads were quartered. A wind storm which had 
been little less than a tornado had almost unroofed 
one of the buildings, and several of the ranch hands 
were at work putting the finishing touches to the 
repairs. Getting a hammer and some nails for him- 
self, Dave joined in, and kept at the task until some 
time after sundown. 

When Mr. Nelson returned he was so tired he 
could scarcely get off of his mare, and Dave ran for- 
ward to take charge of the animal. “ I had to go 
after some of the cattle that got in the marsh land 
on the upper range,” he said. “ The mare got stuck 
in a hole, and both of us came near to spending the 
night out there. I wish that sink was on somebody 
else’s range.” 

“I’ve got lots of news to tell,” replied Dave. 


TWO CHANCES TO SELL OUT 


29 


“ But you had better have dinner ahd supper com- 
bined before I begin. I’ll turn the mare over to 
Jackson.” 

“Pepper just told me that you had had a row 
with Dutch Henry.” 

“ So I had. But you go and eat first, father, you 
need it. The news will keep.” 

Dave went off with the animal, and Mr. Nelson 
entered the dining room, there to share his evening 
repast with several of his men. While he was fin- 
ishing, the son came back and related the particulars 
of the encounter with the Dutchman. As may be 
supposed, Martin Nelson was much disturbed. 

“ It was a lucky thing that you got the gun away 
from him,” he said. “ I don’t believe the man is 
any too good to shoot, when in a rage. Once a 
mustang turned on him and he got a shovel and 
nearly beat the beast to death. I believe he would 
have killed the creature only I chanced along and 
told him if he didn’t stop I would discharge him 
on the spot. A man who would treat a dumb beast 
in that fashion has no heart.” 

“ I left his gun with Guffy. I wonder if he will 
come for it.” 

“It’s not likely. But he may send one of the 


80 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


men over in a day or two. He always wanted 
everything that was his — and more. Perhaps all 
of us had better go armed after this — just as I and 
my men had to do when the Oklahoma boomers 
swept through here,” concluded Mr. Nelson. 

The ranch owner was greatly interested in the 
letter from South Africa, and read it over as care- 
fully as had Dave. Years before, he and his 
brother had corresponded regularly, but of late the 
writing had dropped off, as each had plunged deeper 
into the business at hand. 

“ I am glad to hear from them,” he said. “ If I 
am not mistaken 1 have been owing Ralph a letter 
now for a year, and I presume he is tired of waiting 
for me. I knew he was in Johannesburg and in- 
terested in the mining business, but this ostrich 
farm is something new to me.” 

“ Will seems to think that ostrich farming is 
going to pay.” 

“ I have been told that ostrich farming in South 
Africa has made many men’s fortunes. They are 
now doing some ostrich farming in California, but 
that industry is yet in its infancy.” 

“ But I thought ostriches ran wild.” 

“ So they do, like wild turkeys, but like turkeys 


TWO CHANCES TO SELL OUT 


31 


they can be raised from the nest and tamed. An 
old wild ostrich, though, remains wild and uncon- 
querable to the day of his death.” 

“ I’d like to visit an ostrich farm some day,” said 
Dave, wistfully. “ It would be a change from this 
life.” 

“ Are you getting tired of the ranch ? ” 

“ Oh, no ; but then everybody likes a change now 
and then, you know.” 

Mr. Nelson nodded slowly and thoughtfully. 
“That is true. Well, you may have a decided 
change before long — if we have to give up the 
cattle business.” 

He turned to the two letters addressed to him- 
self. One was of minor importance and was 
speedily filed away. The second was postmarked 
Chicago and was typewritten, and Mr. Nelson read 
it at first with a clouded face and then with some- 
thing of a smile. 

Here is something of importance,” he said at 
last. “ Perhaps it is a way out of our difficulties.” 

“ And what is that, father ? ” 

“A letter from Samuel Hostetter, the general 
manager of the Anchor Beef Company. He says 
that they are going to open up in this part of Texas, 


82 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


and wishes to know if I am in the market to dispose 
of all of my lands and cattle at a fair price.” 

“ The Anchor Beef Company ? Are they in with 
the Darnell Combination ? ” 

“No, the two concerns are deadly enemies. The 
Anchor people come from Missouri, and Darnell 
stepped on their toes in that territory, and now I 
suppose these people are going to try to get square. 
It’s a game of tiger eat tiger.” 

“ W ell, if you can sell out at a fair figure, that 
will be better than sacrificing what you have,” re- 
turned Dave, quickly. “ And I would like to see 
Darnell catch it, just on Dutch Henry’s account.” 

“ I think the Anchor people have more money 
than the Darnell Combination. But as for selling 
out to them, that will depend upon what they will 
give me.” 

“ To be sure.” Dave leaped suddenly to his feet. 
“Perhaps Darnell would like to buy you out, too.” 

“More than likely he would — at his own figure.” 

“ I don’t know about that. He may be willing to 
pay a stiff price — if he hears that the Anchor folks 
are nosing around,” and Dave smiled broadly. 

“ My boy, you’ve got a long head on your shoul- 
ders,” cried Mr. Nelson, well pleased at the youth’s 


TWO CHANCES TO SELL OUT 


33 


cleverness. He rubbed his hands together. “Yes, 
since both of them wish to get me out of the way, 
I’ll sell out to the one who bids the highest.” 

For over an hour father and son sat up discussing 
the situation, and then Dave retired to the bedroom 
loft, wondering how soon the property would be 
disposed of, and what he and his father would do 
after that. 

Dave was mending a bit of harness in front of the 
stable on the following morning, when he saw a 
tall, thin individual astride of a small Mexican pony 
riding slowly toward the ranch house. He recog- 
nized the rider as Peter Pepps, a ranchero from the 
“ bad lands,” who had but recently come to that 
neighborhood, in the employ of the Darnell Combi- 
nation. “ He has come for Dutch Henry’s shot- 
gun,” thought the boy, and ran to inform his father 
of the newcomer’s arrival. 

But Dave was mistaken, at least in part. Peter 
Pepps had heard that the boy had his employer’s 
weapon, and had been asked to see if he could get it 
back, but his errand primarily was to deliver a note 
from Mr. Darnell to Mr. Nelson. 

The note was politely written, but very stiff in 
tone, and stated that the writer had heard that Mr. 


84 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


Nelson wished to sell out, and if this was true he 
would like to have the ranch owner meet him at 
Gainesville on the afternoon of the next Thursday, 
mentioning a certain hotel in that city. 

“ Humph, this is odd,” mused Martin Nelson. “I 
never intimated to him that I wished to sell out.” 

“Perhaps he already knows what the Anchor 
people are up to,” was Dave’s comment ; and his 
surmise afterward proved correct. 

“ There can be no harm in meeting him, and 
I will do it,” and an answer was penned accord- 
ingly. 

“ But I wouldn’t close with him before communi- 
cating with the Anchor folks,” said the boy. 

“ To be sure, Dave. The two millstones shall not 
grind me without my getting paid handsomely for 
it.” 

It was Dave who gave the answering note to 
Peter Pepps, and, as was the custom, the ranchero 
was offered some light refreshments before taking his 
leave. 

Peter Pepps saw the shotgun hanging in the 
kitchen, but it took several minutes before he could 
get around to asking for it. 

“I reckon ye have got a gun yere belongin’ to 


TWO CHANCES TO SELL OUT 


35 


Boss Kneip,” he said finally. “ Leas’wise he sed 
sum thin’ about it.” 

“ Yes, here is the gun,” answered Dave, taking it 
down. “ If he wants it, you can take it to him. But 
you can tell him to be careful how he tries to use it 
in the future.” 

Peter Pepps took the shotgun in silence, looked it 
over to find it unloaded, for Dave had fired off both 
barrels before turning it over to Guffy, and slung it 
over his shoulder. “So long,” he muttered, and 
slouched off to his pony. “Hope this yere note 
proves satisfact’ry to all hands,” and then he was 
off. 

“ I’ll wager he knew what was in that note he 
brought,” said Dave, when he had disappeared. 
“ What a hang-dog look he has ! Mr. Darnell can’t 
be very proud of the men who represent him in this 
territory.” 

“ T ’on’t believe Darnell cares much what sort of 
tfe has so long as they make money for him,” 
id Mr. Nelson. “I’ll send a letter at once to 
ichor people, and then we’ll see what we will 


CHAPTER V 


DAVE HELPS AN ENEMY AND HEARS SOMETHING 
OF IMPORTANCE 

The nearest railroad station to the ranch on the 
Brazos River was at Wichita Falls, and this town is 
located about eighty miles west of Gainesville, the 
city at which Martin Nelson was to meet Alvin 
Darnell, who was fast becoming known in that 
section of Texas as the Cattle King. 

Feeling that he must hear from the Anchor Beef 
Company before closing with Darnell, no matter 
what the figure offered, Mr. Nelson concluded to 
telegraph to Chicago, instead of losing the time that 
a letter would require. Accordingly a telegram was 
written out within an hour after Peter Pepps had 
left, and Dave took it upon himself to see that i ft » 
was properly despatched. 

The distance from the ranch home to Wichita 
Falls was nearly fifty miles, a long journey on horse- 
back to anybody not accustomed to it. But Dave 
had gone over the route many times before, and did 


DAVE HELPS AN ENEMY 


37 


not mind it in the least. He procured an early din- 
ner, and had Guffy put him up a lunch in a saddle- 
bag, and then made off, over the hills and down in 
the valleys leading northeastward. 

About half of the ride was completed without 
special incident, and then the youth came to a por- 
tion of the trail which led across a ford of one of the 
branches of the Red River. The ford was a bad one, 
and as he approached it the youth could not help but 
remember how, two years before, he had slipped on 
the wet rocks and been almost carried off by the 
rushing waters. 

“ Before long they will have to either bridge that 
creek over or find a new fording place,” he thought. 
“ That gorge just above makes the water leap up so 
fast that — ” 

Dave’s mental soliloquy came to a sudden ending 
as a muffled cry broke upon his ears. Then came a 
shriek, and the wild snort of a bronco. 

“ Somebody is in the creek ! ” he ejaculated, and 
urged Lightning forward. “ Quick, old boy, perhaps 
we can save a life ! ” 

The mustang seemed to understand, and laying 
back his ears he bounded forward, and in a few sec- 
onds Dave came into sight of the creek. The water 


38 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


was higher than he had anticipated, and swirled 
madly as it came tumbling out of the gorge and 
spread itself over the uneven rocks beyond. 

“ Help me ! help ! ” came the cry, in a strangely 
familiar voice. “ Ton’t let me die in der vater ! ” 

“ Dutch Henry ! ” burst from Dave’s lips. For one 
single instant he felt like drawing back, then his 
naturally noble nature asserted itself, and he urged 
his mustang close to the edge of the stream. 

Even in the darkness which was fast gathering in 
the valley through which the creek flowed, it was 
an easy matter to see what was the cause of Dutch 
Henry’s plight. His bronco had slipped and rolled 
over and, on account of the strength of the current, 
seemed unable to get up again. The rider’s foot had 
become caught in the stirrup strap, and now the leg 
lay under the fallen beast, holding Dutch Henry a 
close prisoner. The face of the man bobbed up and 
down on the surface of the stream, disappearing and 
reappearing with every move he made to save him- 
self. 

“Forward, Lightning,” said Dave, quietly but 
firmly. The mustang hesitated a second, then did 
as bidden. Soon the horse was up to his knees in 
the rushing torrent. He shivered and shook but 



“Ditch Henry!” hurst from Dave’s ups 


Page 38 























































































































DAVE HELPS AN ENEMY, 


39 


kept his footing, and Dave continued to urge him 
onward. 

“Safe me!” screamed Dutch Henry again. “I 
vill gif you a hundred dollar of you safe me ! ” 

“ I’ll do what I can ; but you must keep quiet,” 
returned Dave. “You are scaring the bronco to 
death, and if you are not careful he’ll roll over you. 
Easy now, Lightning, a little closer, whoa ! whoa l 
That’s it, — now then, git up ! ” 

Dave had come close to the bronco’s head. He 
leaned from the saddle and caught the beast by the 
bridle. Lightning pulled forward with all his 
strength, and Dave held on, and with a tremendous 
splash the bronco came up and regained hi§ feet. 
Then he made a dash for the shore, dragging Kneip 
after him, but the Dutchman managed to catch hold 
of the animal’s tail and thus saved himself from what 
might have proved a fatal bumping on the rocks. 

“Now I reckon you are all right,” observed Dave, 
when all were safe in a thicket beside the creek. 
“ But you had a close shave of it.” 

“ Yah, and I vos all wet bis mine skin,” growled 
Dutch Henry. “You klutzkupf /” (blockhead), he 
roared, and hit the bronco in the face with his naked 
fist. “ Vy for you dumble town, hey ? ” 


40 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“ I guess he tumbled because he couldn’t help it,” 
said Dave, coldly, and then, as he got a whiff of 
Kneip’s breath, he added, “or maybe you were so 
unsteady on his back he couldn’t balance himself.” 

“ Unsteady ? Vot you mean py dot, hey ? ” 

“ I mean that you have been drinking, Hendrik 
Kneip, and if any one deserves a pounding, it is you 
and not the bronco. I can’t exactly say that I am 
sorry I saved you, but I would just as lief it had been 
somebody else.” And with this parting shot Dave 
turned his mustang around, plunged into the stream 
again, and struck out for the opposite shore. 

The unreasonable man glared after the boy for a 
moment. Then with a lurch he bent down, secured 
a jagged stone, and flung it with all his might after 
the youth. But his aim was poor and the stone flew 
far over Dave’s head. 

“ Don’t you do that again,” cried the boy, facing 
around. “ If you do, I may be tempted to use the 
pistol I am carrying.” 

On hearing this, Hendrik Kneip felt for his own 
weapon, but it had been lost in the stream. The 
discovery that it was missing alarmed him, and 
without waiting longer he leaped up on his bronco 
and pushed into the thicket and out of sight. 


DAVE HELPS AN ENEMY. 


41 


Feeling that he must make the most of the day- 
light while it lasted, Dave, on gaining the north 
bank of the creek, and seeing that Dutch Henry 
had disappeared, struck out with renewed speed for 
his destination. As he advanced he could not help 
but speculate over the mean manner in which Kneip 
had treated him after being saved from such a 
dangerous position. 

“ Some men are grateful for nothing,” he mut- 
tered. “ I don’t think he would turn a hand to do 
any such thing for me,” and he urged Lightning 
along faster than ever, just by way of relieving his 
feelings. 

It was several hours after sunset when Dave 
dashed into the bustling little town of Wichita 
Falls and made his way to the telegraph station. 
His somewhat long message to Chicago was soon 
sent, and having paid the charges, he turned away 
to find accommodations for the night for himself 
and his horse. 

There was one hotel, the Wichita House, at which 
he had stopped before, and hither he made his way, 
only, however, to find it full, for a special sale of 
real estate in the vicinity had attracted a large num- 
ber of boomers and speculators. 


42 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“Try Lawson’s boarding house,” said the hotel 
clerk, and told him where the resort mentioned was 
located. 

Dave was turning away, when, chancing to look 
into the reading and smoking room of the hostelry, 
he saw two men whose faces were familiar to him. 
The one was that of Alvin Darnell, the president of 
the Combination, the other that of Josiali Snugg, a 
shrewd speculator in real estate. 

“ Darnell here,” thought the youth. “ And he 
wanted father to come all the way to Gainesville to 
see him. What does this mean ? ” 

At first he thought to walk in and let Mr. Darnell 
see him, wondering if the Cattle King would have 
anything to say to him. But then he changed his 
mind, and hurried outside. 

Dave had left Lightning hitched to a tie-post 
close to one of the side windows of the reading and 
smoking room. The two men he had recognized sat 
beside this window, and as the boy came up to get 
his mustang he could not help but catch something 
of the talk between the pair. 

“Yes, if I can’t get Nelson’s ranch, you must get 
it for me,” Alvin Darnell was saying. 

“ That’s all right, but if Nelson won’t sell to me, 


DAVE HELPS AN ENEMY. 


43 


what then ? ” returned Josiah Snugg, after having 
emptied his mouth of a large quantity of tobacco 
juice. 

“ He’s got to sell sooner or later. I’ve about got 
him on the wall already. He is losing money right 
along, and I know it.” 

“What’s the upset price on his outfit?” 

“ I thought I might get his land for six or seven 
thousand dollars.” 

“ Humph, not much ! Why any boomer around 
here would give him that for it.” 

“Well, what do you think it is worth ? ” 

“ That land is worth every cent of fifteen thou- 
sand dollars.” 

“ Kneip says not. ” 

“ That Dutchman doesn’t know anything about it.” 

“You must remember the boom is about over.” 

“ I’m not forgetting that. At the height of the 
boom Nelson could have called for twenty-five thou- 
sand and received it. I’ll wager a corner lot in 
Wichita against a new silk hat that even at a forced 
sale the ranch will fetch nine to ten thousand dol- 
lars, and perhaps twelve.” 

“ Very well then, buy it at that, if it comes to the 
worst. ” 


44 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“ Do you suppose he has any idea yet that the 
Anchor Company is going to open up down here ? ” 

“I rather think not — that is, nothing definite.” 

“They might force the price, you know.” 

“We must get the ranch before they have the 
chance to do that, Snugg. We must see to it that 
we head the Anchor people off,” said Alvin Darnell, 
with much earnestness. “ Come and have some- 
thing,” and then the two men arose and walked off 
in the direction of the bar-room attached to the 
hotel. 

Although, generally speaking, Dave detested 
eavesdropping, he had taken in all that was said, 
feeling that he had a right so to do. As he un- 
hitched Lightning and led the mustang away, a 
grim smile broke over his bronzed face. 

“That was worth hearing,” he thought. “I’m 
glad father sent that telegram. Now the Combina- 
tion and the Anchor people can fight it out between 
themselves, and if we watch our chances, I don’t 
believe we’ll come out so very far behind, after all.” 


CHAPTER VI 


ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA, AND AN ATTACK IN THE 
DARK 

It can well be imagined that Dave did not sleep 
soundly that night, not because the bed was a 
strange one, — such a trifle never bothered this 
young son of the cattle ranges, — but because his 
head was filled with what he had overheard, and he 
felt that a crisis was at hand which would alter 
both his father’s and his own future careers. 

“ I don’t believe father will want to remain in 
Texas after this force-out,” he mused, as he tossed 
about on his couch. “We may as well make a 
clean break of it, and go to one of the western 
states or — or — Africa ! Yes, why not?” And then 
he thought again of his Cousin Will’s letter, and 
began to speculate upon life on a cattle or ostrich 
farm in the Transvaal or some other district of 
South Africa, and of the possibilities of the gold 
and diamond industries of that far-away country. 
Like everything that is far away, it looked more 
45 


46 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


alluring than those things which are close at 
hand. 

By sunrise Dave was again in the saddle and 
speeding home with a heart that was lighter than it 
had been since his father had told him how they 
were running behind in their accounts. Arriving 
at the ranch utterly worn out and as hungry as a 
wolf, he would neither rest nor eat until he had told 
his parent of what had happened and of the conver- 
sation he had overheard. 

Mr. Nelson was deeply interested, and smiled even 
as had Dave. “ It was a lucky happening,” he said. 
“ Now we know pretty much how matters stand.” 

It was decided, after much talking, that Mr. Nel- 
son should leave for Gainesville that very night, 
stopping at Wichita Falls for any message which 
might be awaiting him from Chicago. “ I want to 
send the Anchor people another message,” he said. 
“It’s rather costly talking over the wires, but it 
may pay a hundred times over in the end.” He left 
at sundown, stating that it was impossible to say 
when he would be back, but not before several days, 
or possibly a week. 

After this three days slipped by quietly enough 
at the ranch. Without his parent Dave felt some- 


SOUTH AFRICA — AN ATTACK IN THE DARK 47 


what lonely, but there were many matters to attend 
to, and he went about his work as though nothing 
out of the ordinary was in the wind. As yet he 
had not answered the letter from South Africa, and 
now he concluded to leave this until matters con- 
cerning the ranch were settled. 

44 How is dis, am yo’ f adder gwine to sell out ? ” 
asked Guffy, one day. 

44 That will depend,” replied the boy. 44 Both 
Darnell and another company want to buy him out,” 

44 If yo’ fadder gibs up the ranch den I’ll go too. 
I don’t want to stay under no strange boss.” 

44 Have you any other place in view, Guffy ? ” 
asked Dave, who took considerable interest in the 
colored cook, who had been with the Nelsons for 
several years. 

44 I’se dun got an offer from a gen’men in Vir- 
ginia, sah. I used to wuk fo’ his fadder, durin’ 
de wah. He wants me back on de plantation — 
offers me putty good wages, too.” 

44 Then you had better accept his offer, if we 
vacate,” said Dave, and Guffy concluded that this 
was what he would do. 

There was a fairly good atlas among the scanty 
stock of books of which the ranch home boasted, 


48 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


and one evening Dave brought this out and turned 
to the map of South Africa, to find out just where 
his Uncle Ralph and family were located. Like 
many another of even older growth, he had a dim 
knowledge that the Transvaal, or South African 
Republic, lay somewhere to the northeast of Cape 
Town, and was a country inhabited by Dutch Boers 
and natives whom the whites had warred into 
submission, and this was about all he did know, 
outside of what his Cousin Will had written to 
him. 

His atlas showed him that the Transvaal (which 
name was first used to designate the country over 
the Vaal, or Yellow, River) is located about four 
hundred miles from the southern coast of Africa, 
but more than twice that distance from Cape 
Town, the first port of importance in that section 
of the globe. Its southern boundary is, as already 
intimated, the Vaal River, which separates it from 
the Orange Free State. To the southeast is Natal 
and Zululand, and to the east Portuguese South 
Africa, all forming a narrow strip of land between 
the Transvaal and several fairly good seaports on 
the Indian Ocean. On the north the Limpopo 
River flows between the republic and Rhodesia, 


SOUTH AFRICA — AN ATTACK IN THE DARK 49 


and to the westward lies the semi-civilized country 
called Beehuanaland, a British protectorate. 

Roughly speaking, the South African Republic 
contains about 114,500 square miles of territory. 
It is a vast table-land, with high mountains to 
the southeastward and sloping gradually toward 
the north. The table-land is a mile above sea 
level, and contains some mountain ranges of its 
own and many beautiful streams. A few of the 
mountain peaks rear themselves 10,000 feet above 
sea level, and are covered with snow for several 
months every year. 

Of the population of the Transvaal it would 
be hard to speak, for, as Will Nelson had writ- 
ten, there had been a boom in the gold fields, 
and thousands of fortune seekers were coming and 
going all the time. The blacks, — Kafirs and 
Hottentots, with some Zulus and others, — were 
supposed to number 700,000. The whites could 
be put down as numbering about 100,000 souls, 
the Uitlander, that is, the foreigners, outnumber- 
ing the native Boers two to one. But these figures 
were changing every day, and are likely to change 
for some years to come. 

“ It’s not such a very large country after all,” 


50 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


mused Dave, as he closed the book. “About half 
as large as this state, and contains about one-third 
as many inhabitants. But the atlas says it is rich 
in gold, silver, precious stones, and farming lands, 
and that counts for a good deal. I’d like to go 
there first-rate — at least for a year or two. Per- 
haps a fellow wouldn’t want to stay there all his 
life.” 

Somehow, Dave could not get South Africa out 
of his head, since receiving that letter from his, 
cousin, and with a longing to see that country 
came also a longing to meet his relatives. “ I 
wonder how Uncle Ralph looks,” he mused. “And 
Aunt Isabel, and Will, and Alice. What’s the use 
of having such relatives if you can never see them? 
I declare, I’m going to ask father to go, so there ! ” 
And he shook his head with a determination that 
meant a good deal. 

Perhaps, if Dave had had brothers and sisters, 
he might have felt differently. But he had never 
had either, and now of a sudden he felt lonely for 
the want of some relative other than his father, 
and he made up his mind that Cousin Will and 
Cousin Alice would “just fill the bill,” as he ex- 
pressed it. Surely, though he was American and 


SOUTH AFRICA — AN ATTACK IN THE DARK 51 


they were English, blood was a good deal thicker 
than water. 

Sunday came and went, and still Mr. Nelson 
remained away, and now Dave began to grow 
restless. Evidently the business of selling the 
ranch had not moved along as rapidly as expected. 
Whether this was a good sign or not the youth 
could not determine. 

It was late Monday evening, and Guffy had 
already retired to his bed in the kitchen loft, 
when a wild cry from one of the cattle sheds 
made Dave leap to his feet and dash aside the 
newspaper he had been perusing. The cry was 
that of a man, and it was followed by a crash as 
of splintering woodwork and a pistol-shot. 

44 My gracious, what’s that ? ” burst from the 
boy’s lips. “That brown horse must be kicking 
Pepper to death ! Can the beast have him cor- 
nered, and is he firing on him? I told him that 
nag was the most vicious in the whole state of 
Texas ! ” And thus speaking, Dave caught up a 
heavy rawhide whip, threw open the door, and 
bounded out into the darkness in the direction 
from whence the sounds had proceeded. 

44 Drop that gun, you Dutch rascal ! ” came to 


52 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


his ears, in Pepper’s voice, and then came the 
noise of a scuffle, followed by another shot, and 
a groan of agony. 

“ Pepper, what’s up ? ” cried the youth. “ Where 
are you?” 

“ Down here, in the new shed,” came from the ’ 
cow puncher. “ Help me make this Dutchman a 
prisoner.” 

“ Los me go ! ” came in an answering howl. 

“ Los me go, or I vos fire again ! ” 

“ What’s up thar ? ” came from the rear portion 
of the ranch, and now another hand came up on 
the run, — a tall, brawny man of forty, armed with 
a knife and a whip. 

“ It’s Dutch Henry,” groaned Pepper. “I col- 
lared him trying to put something in the feed — 
poison most likely. He has wounded me in the 
shoulder with his gun.” 

“Dutch Henry, eh?” came from the big man, 
whose name was Carwell. “I thought I saw him 
a-sneakin’ around hyer about sundown. He had 
better — ” 

“ There he goes ! ” interrupted Dave, as the 
Dutchman leaped from the shed and brushed past 
him. He let 3ut with the rawhide, and the end 


SOUTH AFRICA — AN ATTACK IN THE DARK 53 

of the lash nipped Kneip’s right ear. Then he 
started after the fleeing one, and Carwell came 
behind him, leaving Pepper to care for his wounded 
shoulder. 

The night was dark, and it was with difficulty 
that the boy and the ranch hand kept Hendrik 
Kneip in sight. The rascal had not calculated 
upon being discovered at his nefarious work, and 
now he felt that if captured, those whom he had 
plotted against would show him no mercy. 

“ He’s a-makin’ fer the mesquite brush,” said 
Carwell, after several minutes’ running. “ Like 
ez not lie’s got his bronco over thar.” 

“ I think we would be justified in firing on him,” 
replied Dave. “But I haven’t any gun with me.” 

“No more have I, Dave. Maybe I kin bluff him 
though.” 

Carwell raised his voice, which was loud enough 
to be heard for quarter of a mile. “ Stop whar 
ye air, or I’ll fire at ye ! ” he cried. “ Stop, or 
ye air a dead man ! ” 

The threat, however, produced no effect, fur- 
ther than to make Dutch Henry crouch down 
lower than ever, as he loped over the ground. 
Soon he gained a clump of trees, , behind which 


54 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


he had tethered his bronco. A slash of his knife 
cut the halter, and leaping into the saddle, he 
made off on a wild run. 

The fact that Pepper had been shot at and 
wounded made the affair a serious one, and all 
belonging to the ranch felt that they must catch 
the guilty one if possible. Dave and Car well ran 
to the barn, and were soon in the saddle, followed 
by two other men. Pepper, whose wound was an 
ugly one, was left behind in Guffy’s care, the latter 
binding up the shoulder with as much skill as he 
had used in binding up many such wounds for 
Confederate soldiers during the great Civil War. 

But the chase, although it lasted all night and 
well into the morning, availed nothing. The trail 
was lost on one of the creeks flowing into the Red 
River, and could not be picked up again. A call 
at the house where Dutch Henry boarded con- 
vinced them that he had not been there ; and at 
nine o’clock the party started back home. It may 
be as well to add here that Kneip, alarmed over 
the fact that he had shot Pepper, and not knowing 
how Serious the wound might prove, left the state 
of Texas altogether, and it was a long time before 
Dave met the man again. 


CHAPTER VII 


LEAVING THE RANCH 

“Yes, Dave, the ranch is sold; and the cash is 
safe in the bank at Fort Worth. We have just 
two weeks in which to pack our trunks and vacate.” 

Mr. Nelson had come in on Tuesday afternoon, 
much fatigued by the several long journeys he had 
taken, but evidently in a happy frame of mind. 
From Wichita Falls he had gone to Gainesville and 
thence to the city of Fort Worth, and he had re- 
turned home by way of Weatherford, Graham, and 
Seymour, a distance of one hundred and thirty -five 
miles, on horseback. 

“ Sold ? And who bought it, father, and what 
was the price ? ” demanded the son, eagerly. 

“The Anchor Beef Company bought the whole 
thing, house, ranges, and all the cattle, both on the 
range and coming in. They are buying up every- 
thing they can around here, and indications are 
that they are going to make it tremendously warm 
for the Darnell Combination.” 


55 


56 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“ And the price ? I hope you cleared yourself.” 

“That’s the best part of the transaction, Dave. 
When I got to Wichita Falls I found a telegram 
there stating that I could meet a representative 
of the Anchor Company at Gainesville. So I went 
right on, and there, at the hotel, I met the repre- 
sentative, and also Alvin Darnell and, later on, 
Josiah Snugg. I didn’t let on that 1 knew what 
was up — merely said that I would sell out to the 
highest bidder. Darnell was fairly wild to get 
the ranch. He ran the price up to thirteen thou- 
sand dollars, and then sent Snugg around to bid 
it up to twenty thousand. But the Anchor Com- 
pany was game, and gave me exactly five minutes 
in which to close with their final , offer of twenty- 
five thousand dollars. I closed on the spot, and 
got a certified check for eighteen thousand and a 
common check for the balance before I left the 
room.” 

“ Oh, father ! ” Dave’s face broke out into a 
happy smile. “That was splendid! better than I 
had dreamed for ! ” 

“ Yes, Dave, you don’t know what a weight I 
have off my shoulders. But that is not all. After 
I had sold out to the Anchor Company Darnell 


LEAVING THE RANCH 


57 


came around again, and made a personal offer of 
twenty -two thousand. 4 I’ve sold out for -twenty- 
five thousand,’ said I, and you ought to have seen 
his jaw drop. 4 You’ve played me false!’ he 
roared, and became as mad as a March hare. He 
cut up so loudly that the hotel keeper came up to 
quiet him. I left him and the Anchor Company 
man to fight it out between themselves, while I 
saw to it that the checks were all right. The next 
day the Anchor man and myself arranged about 
turning over the property, and both of us went to 
Fort Worth to complete some details. He tells me 
that the Anchor Company are crowding the Com- 
bination out, right and left,” concluded Mr. Nelson. 

He had much more to tell, matters of minor im- 
portance, and went over these while eating the 
elaborate repast Guffy had served. He was much 
interested in the story Dave had to tell about Dutch 
Henry. 

“I don’t believe he will come back,” he said. 
“From a few words Darnell let fall I think the 
Combination is almost as tired of the Dutchman as 
we are.” 

“ If he comes back, Pepper says he will have the 
sheriff arrest him.” 


58 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“Then you may be certain he won’t show him- 
self. He knows his character won’t bear investigat- 
ing.” 

The next few days were busy ones for father and 
son. Martin Nelson had sold his property, subject 
to a certain inventory, and now he had to see to it 
that everything on the schedule was there. Dave 
helped him, and so did all of the others connected 
with the ranch. 

The representative of the Anchor Beef Company 
had told Mr. Nelson that he would put an old cattle 
man from Colorado on the place. This man was 
married and would bring his wife and two daugh- 
ters with him, so that Guffy wmld not be needed in 
the kitchen. But the outdoA* hands could remain, 
if they desired, at the same wages as they had been 
getting. 

“ I’m glad it is fixed that way,” said Dave. 
“ Guffy doesn’t care to stay, but I know none of 
the others would like to lose their situations.” 

Now they were to leave the ranch, the question 
was, Where should they go? As was his usual 
habit, Dave lost no time in broaching what was in 
his mind. 

“ Let us go to South Africa,” said he. 


LEAVING THE* RANCH 


59 


“South Africa ! ” ejaculated Mr. Nelson, and then 
he smiled. “You are thinking of your Uncle 
Ralph and Cousin Will.” 

“Yes, and I’m thinking of more. I’ve been 
studying up about that country, as best I could, 
and I’m thinking it might pay us to try our luck 
out there, at least for a year or two.” 

The father shook his head doubtfully. “I’m 
afraid we are not cut out for a life in that hot 
climate, Dave,” he ventured. 

“ It’s not so hot on the upper plateaus. If Uncle 
Ralph and his family can stand it* I don’t see why 
we couldn’t. We might do very well on an ostrich 
farm, or at the mines. I’d like to try it, anyway, 
I really would,” went on Dave, wistfully. 

Mr. Nelson gazed . out of the window very 
thoughtfully for several minutes before answering. 
“ Twenty-five thousand dollars is about five thou- 
sand pounds in English money,” he said slowly. 
“We might take a thousand pounds and try our 
luck, and then, if the trip amounted to nothing, we 
would still have twenty thousand dollars left.” 

“And of course you would like to see Uncle 
Ralph,” put in Dave, by way of a clincher. 

“Yes, I must confess I would like to see my 


60 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


brother very much, and also his family, who are all 
strangers to us.” 

“ Then say you’ll go, father ; and I’ll write to 
Cousin Will that we are coming, and get Uncle 
Ralph to send us the particulars of how to get 
there.” 

Mr. Nelson laughed outright. “What a boy you 
are, Dave ! Everything must go with a rush, if it’s 
to go at all. No, you needn’t write just yet,” — 
and then, as he saw his son’s face fall, he added, 
“ but I’ll think it over, and I’ll let you know what 
I’m willing to do before very long.” 

During the middle of the second week, Mr. Har- 
leigh, the man who was to take charge for the 
Anchor Company, put in an appearance, and began 
to set the ranch home to rights for his family, who 
arrived two days later. Everything on the place 
was inspected and found as Martin Nelson had rep- 
resented, and the new master signed a paper to that 
effect ; and then the Nelsons were told that they 
could leave as soon as it suited their convenience. 
At the same time Guffy was paid off, and after a 
hearty good-by all around, the negro left, in com- 
pany with Pepper, who took him and his effects as 
far as the railroad station. 


LEAVING THE RANCH 


61 


As Martin Nelson had deposited his money in the 
bank at Fort Worth, he decided, for the time being, 
to put up in that thriving city, prior to making his 
next definite move. Father and son left the ranch 
on the next Monday, the new master of the place 
seeing them off himself and wishing them the best 
of luck. “Remember, if you ever come this way 
again, the latch-string always hangs on the outside 
for you,” he said. All the men came up to say 
good-by, and it was really an affecting scene, al- 
though neither Mr. Nelson nor Dave allowed his 
emotions to get the better of him. At the rail- 
road station they left the mustang and the coal- 
black mare with Mr. Harleigh ; and then the last 
tie seemed broken. 

“ Good-by, Lightning,” whispered Dave. “ You’ve 
been a good fellow and carried me many a mile in 
safety, and I’ll never get a better. I trust with 
all my heart your next master proves a kind one ; ” 
and then he leaped on board of the incoming train, 
that his father might not see the tears that would 
come up in his eyes. But Mr. Nelson, through 
thinking of the black mare, was in no condition to 
see anything, and after he dropped into the seat 
beside Dave he did not speak until he had cleared 


62 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


his throat several times and blew his nose in a most 
suspicious manner. Even dumb animals some- 
times fill large places in the human heart. 

The journey to Fort Worth took the remainder 
of the day, and when they reached the city they 
found it dark and the main streets ablaze with elec- 
tric lights. They made their way to the very hotel 
at which Mr. Nelson had closed his fortunate deal 
for the ranch, and here the father hired connecting 
rooms for himself and his son. 

Dave felt, as he himself expressed it, “ like a fel- 
low out for a holiday.” There was absolutely noth- 
ing to do but to walk around and see the sights, or 
read the newspapers. But one day he chanced into 
the circulating library and ran across several recent 
works on South Africa, and after looking them over 
with keen interest, drew his father’s attention to the 
volumes. One book related, in a semi-amusing 
fashion, a trip of a thousand miles through the 
Transvaal by wagon ; another was a critical study 
of the mines and mining possibilities, and a third 
told of the Boers and the negroes, and of the ostrich 
and other industries. 

Father and son spent two days at the library, 
digesting the books. Dave said but little, feeling 


LEAVING THE RANCH 


63 


certain that the volumes would have their full effect 
upon his parent. After returning the third book 
to the librarian, Mr. Nelson turned slowly to his 
son. 

“ Certainly very interesting reading, Dave — 
about as interesting as anything I ever ran 
across.” 

“ And will you go, father ? ” queried the boy, 
anxiously. “We might rather go than stay here 
doing nothing.” 

“Do you really wish to go so much?” 

“ I do. The more I think of it, the more 

anxious I am to start right away.” 

Mr. Nelson smiled at the boyish enthusiasm, 
and laid his hand on his offspring’s shoulder. 

“Very well, Dave, you shall go, and that settles 
it, and I’ll go with you.” 


CHAPTER VIII 




PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE 

For the next few days Dave felt as though he 
were walking on air. He was to go to South 
Africa ! What a tremendous trip that would be, 
and what strange sights were in store for him ! 

Now that it was settled that they should go, 
the youth was impatient to be off. But this was 
almost an impossibility, even if Mr. Nelson had 
been inclined to rush matters, which he was not. 
Arrangements for the passage to Cape Town, or 
some other South African port, had to be made, 
and very little could be learned in Fort Worth 
regarding the sailing of vessels. 

“ I will write to your Uncle Ralph and tell him 
of what we intend to do,” said the ex-ranch owner. 
“ And I will ask him for advice. He may be able 
to send us some information which will save us 
both trouble and expense.” 

“Then you will wait until you hear from him?” 
replied Dave, half disappointedly. 


PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE 65 

i 

“Weren’t you going to wait?” asked his father, 
in surprise. ^ 

“ I suppose so — but it will take so long for a 
letter to go and the answer to come back, — two 
months, at least. We might be settled in Africa 
by that time.” 

“Hardly,” laughed Mr. Nelson. “The world 
doesn’t move so quickly, — especially when you 
get away from the United States. The Boers, 
who govern the Transvaal, are as slow as they 
are strong and sturdy. When we get out there, 
I am afraid that you will have to forget what 
impatience means, at least when you are dealing 
with the Dutch.” 

“ But we might write, and then follow the 
letter,” pleaded Dave. “Uncle Ralph could 
address his reply to us at Cape Town — if we 
decided to go to that port.” 

“No, I will wait and see what he has to say, 
— and in the meantime write to New Orleans, 
Charleston, and New York, and find out what I 
can about the ships sailing to Cape Town. I 
know we can go from New York, but there is no 
need of our going away up there if we can go 
from some Southern port,” concluded Mr. Nelson. 


66 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


He wrote to his brother that afternoon — a let- 
ter of twelve closely written pages, telling of how 
affairs had turned and of what he had in mind to 
do, and asking his brother’s honest opinion on the 
move. Dave also wrote a letter to his Cousin 
Will, telling how delighted he was over the pros- 
pect, and stating that he felt sure they would 
have some splendid times together. “ Outside of 
settling down to work and making money,” he 
wrote, “I want to do a little hunting. I know 
you have some splendid game out there, and more 
than once I’ve hit a bird on the wing at a dis- 
tance of several hundred feet. Once I brought 
down a fox at three hundred yards, and he was 
running at full speed across the trail. He was 
carrying off a spring chicken, after having killed 
nine others in the chicken-house.” 

The letters mailed, Mr. Nelson sent to the cities 
he had mentioned for information of the vessels 
listed to sail for Cape Town, he deciding that that was 
the best port to make. It was not many days before 
replies came back, enclosing not only sailing lists, 
but also many circulars, describing the vessels, the 
journey, and likewise South African opportunities. 

“I reckon we’ll have to take the opportunities 


PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE 


67 


with a grain of salt,” was Mr. Nelson’s comment, as 
he and Dave perused the reading matter. “ The 
steamship companies will sometimes say a good deal 
for the sake of getting a man to give up his passage 
money.” 

“But Africa must be a wonderfully fertile country, 
father.” 

“ It would be, that is, the southern portion of it, 
if it were not for one drawback, — the drouth. Rain 
is very uncertain during some parts of the year, and 
then nearly everything is burnt up by the steady, 
scorching sun. You know how much we suffered 
for rain on the range at times.” 

It was found that passage for Cape Town could be 
secured direct from New York, although the service 
was not a frequent one. If a person wished to go 
“between times,” as Dave expressed it, he had to 
go by way of Liverpool or some other English port. 
The cost of the passage varied from one hundred and 
fifty to six hundred dollars, according to the cabin or 
other accommodations. 

It was also learned that a steamer would sail from 
Charleston in two weeks, and another was calculated 
to leave in five weeks. From New Orleans there 
would be a steamer in ten days, and two steamers 


68 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


and several sailing vessels within the next three 
months. The fares from these points in the South 
were all less than those from New York. 

“ If we go, we may as well go from New Orleans,” 
said Mr. Nelson. “That is the nearest port, and we 
will save both on railroad fares and on the ocean 
trip, and perhaps a little on time, too,” and so the 
first step in the journey was settled. 

As the days and weeks sped by, Dave busied him- 
self in making out a list of the things which it would 
be necessary to take along, and in gathering all the 
information he could about South Africa. Little, 
however, was to be learned outside of the books 
which the public library afforded. After diligent in- 
quiry he managed to find one man, a rather “ tough ” 
German- American, who had spent two years in Cape 
Town and Natal. On being questioned this indi- 
vidual scowled and shook his head dubiously. 

“ Don’t you go,” he cried. “ It ain’t half as good 
as right here. Dem Boers’ is all t’ieves, and dem 
Englishmans is doing jest as da blease. An American 
ain’t got no chance at all, nein, not von chance! ” He 
continued to rail at the people, the country, the cli- 
mate, everything. Dave was somewhat disheartened, 
but later on learned that the German -American had 


PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE 


69 


been arrested in Natal as an ox thief, and was a man 
who was not to be believed under any circumstances. 

At last came the time when letters might be ex- 
pected from the Transvaal, and then Dave began to 
watch for the mail as a hunter watches for a deer at 
a salt lick. Yet a week went by with nothing com- 
ing in but business communications for his father. 
“ I don’t believe they’ll write at all,” sighed the boy. 
“ I reckon they don’t care to have us come out.” 

But the letters came at last, and Dave snatched 
them from the hotel clerk with a wild hurrah and 
sought out his father in a hurry. “ At last ! ” he 
cried, and tore open that addressed to himself. 

A few glances at the closely written pages made 
his heart bound with enthusiasm. Cousin Will was 
delighted that he was coming out, he was sure that 
they would have the best of times together, and that 
Dave and his father could make as much money as 
anybody, no matter if they went into mining, or cattle 
and ostrich farming. As to hunting, Will had been 
contemplating a trip for a long time, but now he 
would defer the pleasure until he could have his 
American cousin for company. Wild beasts had 
been pretty thoroughly cleaned out of the Transvaal, 
but there were still remote portions where could be 


TO 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


found elands, gemsboks, hartebeests, hyenas, and 
other large animals, not to speak of the wild ostriches 
and the innumerable small birds. “And we may 
even come across a lion,” added Will, “although 
father says if I do I had better come home and send 
some old hunter after his majesty. Strange as it may 
seem to you, I have never yet seen a lion running 
wild, nor an elephant, nor leopard, although some 
folks think the whole of Africa is alive with these 
beasts. The most troublesome things we have here 
are the insects, and the tsetse-fly, which sometimes 
stings horses to death.” 

The letter from Will’s father was in a more sober 
strain, but equally sanguine. “ If you were from 
the city and used only to city ways, I would not 
advise you to come out,” wrote Mr. Ralph Nelson. 
“ But you have roughed it more or less on your ranch 
I feel certain, and so both of you will be hardened to 
stand the knocks of a country which is still in the 
process of development. Your having considerable 
capital will also help a*good bit, as it will enable you 
to look around thoroughly before settling down. 
When I came out I had very little money, — about 
thirty-five pounds all told, — and I had to buckle 
down to work at whatever I could find, and do my 


PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE 


71 


looking around later on. As to what you go into after 
getting here will depend altogether on your individual 
taste, for some farming people (or ranch people, as 
you would perhaps call them) do not like mining 
at all. The majority of the Boers are of that order, 
and many of them would rather eke out a scanty 
living of mealies and ox-meat than dig the earth, or 
blast rock, for precious stones or minerals. Not that 
I discount farming, for I believe there is no surer 
way to get rich than by raising cattle or ostriches 
down here, especially now, with the price of ostrich 
feathers and fresh meat rising steadily.” 

There was a good deal more to the letter concern- 
ing the accommodations to be found in Cape Town 
and elsewhere, and about the route from the seaport 
to Johannesburg and Pretoria. The writer concluded 
by stating that he expected to make a visit to the 
Cape shortly, and if the matter could be arranged, he 
would meet his brother and nephew there upon their 
arrival. 

Although he did not say so, the letter relieved 
Martin Nelson a good deal. It contained good, sober 
advice, from a brother ten years older than himself, 
and from one who was in a position to know just 
what he was talking about. 


72 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


There remained now nothing to do but to engage 
passage for Cape Town, and two days after receiv- 
ing the letters, Mr. Nelson and Dave left Fort 
Worth and took the train for New Orleans. Here, 
a visit to the offices of several transportation com- 
panies brought to light the fact that the steamer 
Golden Eagle would sail for Cape Town direct, and 
other African ports, inside of thirty -six hours. 

“That just suits us!” cried Dave. “Let us se- 
cure passage by all means.” 

As there seemed to be no good reason for delay- 
ing, Mr. Nelson followed his son’s advice, and when 
they left the office of the steamship company they 
were booked for the trip, assigned to double state- 
room number twelve, and the passage money had 
been paid over. Then they hunted out the levee 
at which the Golden Eagle was loading, and pick- 
ing their course among thousands of bales of cotton 
and other merchandise, made their way to the side 
of the noble ship which was to carry them so many 
miles across the Atlantic Ocean. Soon they were 
on board, their stateroom had been pointed out to 
them, and then Mr. Nelson despatched a drayman 
for their luggage. 


CHAPTER IX 


SOMETHING ABOUT THE TRANSVAAL AND ITS 
PEOPLE 


“ Off at last ! ” 

It was Dave who uttered the words, as he hung 
over the side rail of the G-olden Eagle, gazing at the 
vast expanse of shipping unfolded before him. 
They had cast off quarter of an hour before, and 
were slowly making their way down the lower 
Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. The day was 
clear and bright, and it must be confessed that, 
though they were leaving the land which had been 
their home for so many years, father and son felt in 
the best of spirits. Soon the city was left behind, 
and a panoramic view of levees, marshlands, and 
watercourses was stretched out for miles around 
them, dotted here and there with tiny islands, 
covered with sea-shells and a species of oak trees. 
By nightfall the last of the marshlands were left 
behind, and they stood out boldly into the Gulf, 
73 


74 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


heading for Key West near the lower coast of 
Florida. 

The prospect of a long ocean voyage filled the 
youth with delight. Although he had travelled 
considerably, it had been altogether on land or on 
the rivers. The voyage on the Atlantic, therefore, 
promised much in the way of a novelty. The noble 
ship itself looked as if it were well worth inspection, 
but just now Dave was too busy viewing the scene 
from the deck to pay attention to much else. 

“Well, my lad, we have a long trip before us,” 
said a voice at his elbow, and turning, Dave beheld 
a middle-aged man of rather large build, who had 
addressed him. The man had a round, bronzed 
face, bushy black hair and beard, and a pair of 
black, penetrating eyes. He was dressed in a 
heavy, loose-fitting suit of gray, and wore a small, 
plaid cap pulled well down in front. 

“Yes, I suppose the trip will be rather long,” 
answered Dave, as he studied the dark face beside 
him for a moment ; “ but I shan’t mind that — 
unless I get seasick.” And he smiled as if he 
thought that would not be likely. 

“ Ever been across the ocean ? ” went on the man. 

“No, sir; this is my first trip away from the 
States.” 


ABOUT THE TRANSVAAL AND ITS PEOPLE 75 


“It’s a trip well worth the taking, my boy, — 
something everybody ought to take, if he wants 
to see the world. This will make my sixth trip 
across the Atlantic.” 

“ You ought to be used to it by this time, sir.” 

“I must confess the novelty is somewhat worn 
off. But I enjoy it, nevertheless. You see, I travel 
a good deal. I’ve been West and I’ve been South, 
and once I went around the world. That last is a 
trip I shall never forget, for while in China I was 
mistaken for a foreign spy, and I came pretty close 
to being executed.” 

“ You must have a story worth telling,” said 
Dave, who could not help but like the stranger, in 
spite of those penetrating eyes, which seemed to 
look him through and through. “May I ask if 
you know anything of South Africa ? You see my 
father and I are going there to try our fortunes. I 
have an uncle there already, up at Johannesburg, in 
the mines.” 

“ A booming place — and it would boom more if 
the Dutch would allow the foreigners to go ahead, 
and wouldn’t tax the dynamite quite so high. Yes, 
I know South Africa pretty well, — that is, Cape 
Town, Natal, the Orange Free State, the Transvaal, 


76 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


and Matabeleland, — and I have been up the Congo, 
too, although not very far. But perhaps I had bet- 
ter introduce myself. My name is Barton, Captain 
Daniel Barton, and I am in the employ of the Morse 
Museum Supply Company. We make a specialty 
of supplying museums with stuffed animals and the 
like, and I am in the business of supplying the skins 
to stuff.” 

44 Then you are a hunter ! ” cried Dave. 44 1 am 
glad to know you. I like hunting, although I’ve 
never shot anything more dangerous than a fox or a 
wolf.” He told his name and where he was from. 
44 1 wrote to my cousin that I hoped to do some 
hunting out there.” 

“You won’t find much game left south of the 
Limpopo, or Crocodile, River. The Boers have 
cleaned out almost everything — sometimes shooting 
the best of the animals just for the fun of it.” 

“Perhaps they were afraid the animals would 
hurt something on the farms.” 

44 A gemsbok or an eland won’t bother you if you 
don’t bother him, and neither will lots of other 
animals, for the matter of that. No, the animals 
have been killed off just as the buffaloes were in 
the Western states, merely for the fun of it, in nine 


ABOUT THE TRANSVAAL AND ITS PEOPLE 77 

instances out of ten. In plenty of cases I have seen 
a splendid antelope knocked over and then left 
where he fell, for the vultures to devour. Some of 
the old-time hunters thought they could kill as 
much as they pleased and the supply would never 
run out,” continued Captain Daniel Barton, with a 
savage little jerk of his head. He was a hunter of 
the right sort, and never believed in bringing down 
game, large or small, unless it was wanted. 

Mr. Nelson now came up from below, where he 
had been arranging the stateroom, and was intro- 
duced to Captain Barton. The captain was glad to 
learn that they were used to ranch and outdoor life, 
and said so. 

“ It doesn’t suit me at all to see an out-and-out 
city chap going to a place like South Africa,” he 
said. “ That is, unless he intends to stick right in 
Cape Town or some other big city. That country 
needs good, strong men, but dandies are out of place 
there. Why, on my last trip out, from London, we 
had two regular dudes on board, one from London 
and the other from New York. Those fellows spent 
almost all of their time in talking about — what ? 
The prospects of getting work and that ? Not a bit 
of it ! They discussed the styles, and wondered if 


78 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


their suits would be in the regular Cape Town fash- 
ion, or whether they would have to order something 
new from the tailors! I tell you they made me 
weary in the bones, as the saying is. After they 
got to Cape Town and looked around, they were 
the most disgusted creatures you ever saw, and 
when I left for the interior they' were trying to 
scrape up money enough with which to get back 
home.” 

Mr. Nelson and Dave laughed heartily. “ I know 
the breed,” was the ex-ranch owner’s comment. “ I 
had a Boston dude on my ranch once. You remem- 
ber him, Dave, Mortimer LeClair. His folks wanted 
me to knock some common sense into him, but I 
couldn’t do it, and when Mortimer went home he 
said he thought outdoor life was ‘ just too horribly 
awful for anything ! ’ I believe he is in some depart- 
ment dry-goods store now, measuring off cotton goods 
and earning about five dollars per week at it, — and 
the position is a better one than he deserves.” 

“ The trouble with so many folks who go into a 
comparatively speaking new country,” said Captain 
Barton, reflectively, “ is that they are not willing to 
put up with the hardships which stare them in the 
face, and some are not even willing to put up with 


ABOUT THE TRANSVAAL AND ITS PEOPLE 79 


the changed condition of affairs. On my last trip 
to South Africa I had with me a bright, whole- 
souled fellow from Chicago. He wanted to go into 
ostrich farming, and he had an idea that all he had 
to do was to hunt down a lot of wild ostriches, 
corral them, as you call it, and then sit down and 
let them breed and bring him in a fortune. When he 
found out that ostrich farming took as much work 
as any other kind of farming, he was utterly dis- 
gusted, and when he learned further that farm life 
in Africa was altogether different from farm life in 
Illinois — that neighbors didn’t visit as they do 
here, nor have corn-husking bees and harvest-time 
frolics, — that the Boers are too sober, and too 
deadly in earnest about work for anything of that 
sort, — he said he couldn’t stand it another day, and 
sold out for what he could get and came back home.” 

“ I don’t expect to find life out there a frolic,” 
returned Dave, quickly. “ I expect to work just 
as hard there as I did on the ranch — and perhaps 
harder, at least for a while. But I did look for 
some fun hunting, during the off time of the year.” 

“ And you will have sport, lad, and plenty of it. 
But what do you think of going into out there ? ” 

“That will depend largely upon circumstances,” 


80 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


said Mr. Nelson, and then mentioned the particulars 
of what his brother had written to him. 

“ Of course the mines are where the big fortunes 
are located,” went on the captain. “ But they are 
generally large affairs, owned by English syndicates 
and leased from the Boer government.” 

“ Do the Dutch run any of them ? ” asked Dave, 
with much interest. 

“ Very few, and those are not the ones which pay 
the best. The Dutch Boers are farmers — in fact 
the word 4 boer ’ means a farmer — and they never 
took any interest in mining until after the English 
and other foreigners — Uitlanders they call them — 
came in and showed up the wealth lying under the 
earth and the mountains. For that reason you will 
find most of the large cities populated almost entirely 
by the Uitlander, while to find the Boer you will 
have to go out on the farms.” 

“ But the foreigners hold some of the farming 
lands.” 

“ Oh, yes, the Germans, Scotch, and a few Ameri- 
cans, — but the Orange Free State and the Transvaal 
are essentially a Dutch farming territory.” 

“ I’ve read several books on travel in the Trans- 
vaal, but I don’t remember exactly how the state 


ABOUT THE TRANSVAAL AND ITS PEOPLE 81 


was established,’ 5 said Dave, as he and the others 
betook themselves to comfortable seats on the 
steamer’s deck. 

“ The first settlement in South Africa was by the 
Dutch, who established a station at Cape Town, in 
1652, where ships might stop on their way from 
Holland to India. This garrison, as it may be 
termed, was a small affair and had constant fights 
with the natives, Hottentots and Bushmen, and 
also fights with the slaves, which were brought 
down from the coast of Guinea.” 

“And what of the English?” 

“They first came to the colony in 1795, being 
authorized to do so by the Prince of Orange, after 
whom the Orange Free State is named. The 
prince was the last stadtholder of the Dutch 
Republic, and was then a fugitive in England. 
Eleven years later the English became the rulers 
in the struggling colony, and five years after that 
both the Dutch and the English went 'through a 
terrible war with the Kafirs, a savage body of peo- 
ple, of several tribes, who came down from nobody 
knows exactly where out of the Dark Continent, 
to slay all of the white invaders. At first victory 
was on the side of the blacks, but soon the whites 


82 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


rallied and the Kafirs were driven back with the 
loss of thousands killed. 

“ This war was hardly over when the Dutch and 
the English got into another quarrel, in 1815, and 
a number of the former were slain. As I under- 
stand it, the Dutch were willing to allow the Eng- 
lish to control, but did not wish their local customs 
interfered with. They resented the use of English 
in place of Dutch in the courts, and they would not 
tolerate any interference with their ways of treating 
the blacks, and especially their slaves. As years 
went by these difficulties grew worse and worse, 
both in the Cape Colony and in Natal, — which did 
not- become a separate colony until 1856, — and the 
climax was reached in 1884, when the slaves were 
freed.” 

“ Just as that brought on the war in our states,” 
put in Dave. 

“Exactly, but there was a difference. On the 
one hand, the Dutch had fought the blacks again 
and again, and felt that they must keep them slaves 
if they wished to control them. On the other hand, 
the British government said it would defend its 
citizens against the blacks, and voted three million 
pounds — fifteen million dollars — with which to 


ABOUT THE TRANSVAAL AND ITS PEOPLE 83 


pay the Dutch for the loss of their colored help. 
Slavery had to go — that was all there was to it.” 

“ As it will have to go all over the world, sooner 
or later,” remarked Mr. Nelson, gravely. 

“ The Dutch were angry, and their anger was 
increased because the money to pay for the slaves 
was long in coming, and money orders were payable 
in London instead of Cape Town. Many sold out 
their claims for a song, and then they began to hold 
indignation meetings and tried to resolve what was 
best to be done. They felt that to fight the Eng- 
lish would be suicidal, and so with real Dutch cour- 
age — not the kind got out of a black bottle — they 
organized themselves into large emigrating bodies, 
and between 1834 and 1836 fully ten thousand of 
them trekked, with wives and children, cattle, 
wagons, and scanty household furniture, across 
Basutoland into the wilderness, where they founded 
the two South African republics of the Orange 
Free State and the Transvaal.” 

“ I suppose that was something like some of our 
old time emigrants going west,” smiled Dave. 

“ I think it must have been worse, for the Dutch 
had two terrible enemies to contend with, — the 
blacks, especially the Zulus, who are fully as blood- 


84 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


thirsty as any American Indians ever were, and 
the wild animals, who were so daring that they 
would frequently come up in the dark and snatch 
a man, woman, or child right out of the circle 
around the camp-fire. The history of that great 
trek reads like a romance, and the stories the old 
farmers and frontiersmen have to tell, about the 
battles with the blacks, the encounters with wild 
animals, and getting lost in the wildernesses or on 
the dry plains, where the cattle died off like flies 
for the want of water, - — these stories would fill 
volumes.” 

“ And is that all of their history ? ” questioned 
Dave, as Captain Barton paused. 

“ Oh, no. After the Dutch had driven away 
the blacks and killed a large portion of the wild 
animals, they settled down, each head of a house 
on a large farm of his own, to raise cattle, sheep, 
or ostriches, as fancy might indicate. Many of 
them remained, however, 4 wanderers,’ moving with 
their families and their stock as our gypsies do, and 
it was not until 1864 that they formed themselves 
into a united republic. At first matters ran 
smoothly, but twelve years later, after the discov- 
ery of diamonds and gold had brought many Eng- 


ABOUT THE TRANSVAAL AND ITS PEOPLE 85 


lish into the territory, there was an internal trouble 
because of the public treasury being found practi- 
cally empty, and in the midst of this a war broke 
out on the northeast border with Sikukini, a power- 
ful Kafir chief, while on the south, Cettiwayo, of 
Zulu fame, prepared to join the other blacks in a 
contest of extermination.” 

u And what was the outcome of that ? ” ques- 
tioned Dave, as the captain paused again. “ Excuse 
me, but I am tremendously interested in what you 
have to say.” 

The captain smiled. “ I am glad to hear you are 
interested, for few care for the history of this far-off 
land. The result of Sikukini’s outbreak was that 
the British annexed the territory, doing so in order 
to protect the Englishmen who had invested their 
capital there. The Dutch did not like this annexa- 
tion, and in 1881 they rebelled. A great battle was 
fought at Majuba Hill, and the British were forced 
to retire, and then the Transvaal was once more 
declared free so far as internal affairs were con- 
cerned, but subject, in outside affairs, to the suze- 
rainty of Great Britain.” 


CHAPTER X 


LIFE ON THE “GOLDEN EAGLE” 

For over a week the weather remained all that 
could be desired, and during that time the Golden 
Eagle made rapid headway in her long journey to 
the Cape of Good Hope. She was a broadly built 
steamship, of about eight thousand tons burden, 
carrying two masts, and was commanded by Cap- 
tain Anderson Pettibone, a man who had sailed 
the ocean for nearly two score years. Her passen- 
ger list numbered between twenty-five and thirty, 
so the Nelsons did not lack for companionship, even 
though Dave declared to his father that Captain 
Barton was worth a dozen ordinary acquaintances. 

“ He’s a splendid fellow,” said the boy. “ I fairly 
love to hear him tell about the country, and the 
strange people, and his hunting adventures.” 

“ He has certainly seen a great deal of life,” re- 
plied Mr. Nelson. “ He says he has travelled since 
he was fourteen years old. It’s a wonder he hasn’t 
86 


LIFE ON THE “GOLDEN EAGLE” 87 

written a book or two — most travellers and hunters 
do.” 

Key W est and the southern coast of Florida had 
been left behind, and now the Golden Eagle was 
picking her way through the Old Bahama Chan- 
nel, on the north coast of Cuba. But little could 
be seen of the shore line but a distant range of 
mountains, set in a blue haze, with here and there 
an outlying island, covered with palms. On the 
day following they passed Hayti and Dominica, 
and on the day after, Porto Rico, and then the 
ship stood out past the Little Antilles, straight 
into the Atlantic Ocean. Although it was the fall 
of the year, it was by no means cold. 

“ W e are going to leave winter behind us for 
once,” said Mr. Nelson. “From now on we’ll have 
nothing but warm weather.” 

“That’s right,” put in Captain Barton. “In 
South Africa the seasons are turned right around, 
and Christmas falls in the summer time.” 

“But don’t they have any cold weather at all?” 
queried Dave. 

“They do away up in the mountains. In the 
valleys they sometimes have a misty rain which is 
rather penetrating, and at times there are violent 


88 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


hailstorms which cool off the atmosphere for a short 
while.” 

“I imagine the heat is the greatest drawback,” 
said Mr. Nelson. 

“You are right, sir. The heat at times is ter- 
rible, and I have seen it so bad that to travel 
across the veldt in the daytime was out of the 
question. During such periods everybody knocks 
off from ten in the morning until three or four in 
the afternoon, and the Dutch farmers do little but 
drink coffee and sleep.” 

The Little Antilles left behind, the ship headed 
straight down the northeast coast of South Amer- 
ica for Cape Saint Roque. Dave would have liked 
it better if they had remained in sight of land, 
but this would have been dangerous, on account of 
the many hidden reefs, and was not to be. Once 
they stood in near Cayenne, in French Guiana, to 
weather a sudden squall which came up. Yet very 
little could be seen in the driving rain, and Dave 
was glad enough to remain in the cabin. The 
squall cleared off as rapidly as it had come on, and 
soon they were standing out again as if nothing 
out of the ordinary had happened. 

Dave had hoped he would not be seasick, but no 


LIFE ON THE “GOLDEN EAGLE” 89 

sooner was the coast of South America left behind 
than the Grolden Eagle struck what Captain Petti- 
bone declared was the “dirtiest streak o’ weather” 
he had experienced in many a trip. The waves not 
only ran high but were particularly choppy, and 
more than once the deck was deluged both fore 
and aft. The passengers were kept in the cabin, 
and everything that had been loose was secured. 

“ This is — is awful ! ” murmured Dave, as his 
face grew strangely yellow. “ Why, I can’t stand 
on my feet at all, and my head spins around like 
a top ! ” 

“I’m afraid you are going to be sick,” said his 
father, kindly. “ Perhaps you had better lie down.” 

“You don’t think I am going to be seasick, do 
you ? ” groaned the boy, and then, with a shudder, 
he ran for the stateroom, and did not again show 
himself for the balance of the day. After that, he 
got what he called his “ sea legs,” and was bothered 
no more. 

“You mustn’t mind that,” said Captain Barton, 
when he heard of the incident. “I get seasick 
every once in a while, and I consider myself as 
strong and healthy as most men. It’s something 
the very best of us can’t conquer at times.” 


90 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“I want no more of it,” shuddered Dave. “For 
about two hours I felt as if I would give all I pos- 
sessed, if only somebody would knock me in the 
head and end my misery.” 

Captain Barton had had rather a droll experience 
of his own. He had been sitting in the cabin try- 
ing to read a book, when an unexpected lurch of 
the ship had lifted him from his chair, and sent him 
crashing, feet first, into some panelling of the wall 
opposite. This panelling separated the cabin from 
the steward’s pantry, and the captain had gone 
through the thin boards with a mighty crash, 
smashing glasses innumerable, and scaring one of 
the steward’s assistants into a veritable fit. The 
man had been flung to the floor, covered with bits 
of glassware, and had bounced up yelling that the 
ship was going to pieces, and for somebody to give 
him a life preserver and put him on a small boat, 
and it had taken two sailors to hold and quiet him. 
Fortunately for the captain, he had suffered nothing 
worse than a lame shoulder and a twisted ankle as 
the result of the remarkable episode. 

“ But after this I’ll let reading alone, and hold 
on tight,” he remarked to the Nelsons, in telling 
of the happening. “ I have no desire to play can- 
non ball again.” 


LIFE ON THE “GOLDEN EAGLE 


91 


During the storm it was next to impossible to 
cook any food, or to serve it properly, and nearly 
all the meals were hand-to-mouth affairs. But the 
passengers were rather a jolly set, and instead of 
grumbling, took matters good-naturedly. 

“Neffer mind apout getting food ourselves, so 
long as ve ton’t peen food for dem fishes,” remarked 
one old German. “In dis kind of a storm ve can 
be t’ankful ve vos alife, hey ? ” and those who heard 
his words agreed with him. 

But the foul weather could not last forever, and 
one morning the sun shone brightly, and before 
# night the ocean had resumed its long, regular 
swells, and then all felt better. Dave came up on 
deck, and he and his father took a constitutional 
along with the animal hunter. 

“That storm puts me in mind of one I experi- 
enced once in coming up the South American coast 
from lower Brazil,” said Captain Barton. “The ship 
was a three-master, bound for New York. I had been 
down through South America collecting some wild 
animals and snakes, and we had eight cages full of 
tapirs, peccaries, ant-eaters, and other animals, and 
four boxes of serpents, besides several wild llamas 
and alpaca goats. When the storm came on, the 


92 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


llamas and the goats started a rumpus, and we 
found that we were unable to control them. One 
old buck alpaca was particularly vicious, and what 
did he do but ram one of the serpent boxes with his 
horns, and break open the top. I saw him do it, 
but before I could get him off and repair the dam- 
age, out of the box comes a big snake, a regular 
ten-footer.” 

“ Did he come for you ? ” queried Dave. 

“No, — that is, not at first. His eyes were on 
the goat, and in a twinkle he had wound himself 
around the alpaca’s body, and was squeezing in his 
ribs. The goat tried to tear him to pieces with his 
sharp teeth, but the serpent stung him in the face, 
and then both of them went down in a heap.” 

“ A trying moment, truly,” was Martin Nelson’s 
comment. 

“ I guess it was, sir, — and one in which a chap 
had to do a tall amount of thinking right quickly. 
I saw the goat couldn’t be saved, but I didn’t want 
to lose the serpent, for he was of the speckle-headed 
variety, and valuable, and had cost me a lot of trou- 
ble to catch in the first place.” 

“ And what did you do ? ” asked Dave. 

“For the moment I didn’t know what to do, but 



Once he did get his head out. — Page 93 




LIFE ON THE “GOLDEN EAGLE” 


93 


then my eyes fell upon a big, square trunk-box, 
which had contained straps and other articles for 
catching the wild beasts. Jumping for this, I 
damped out the things which it still contained, 
and leaving the lid wide open, turned it over and 
slammed it right down over both serpent and goat.” 

“ Good for you ! ” cried the youth. “ That was 
a fine way to fix him.” 

“ Yes, but let me tell you he wasn’t fixed yet, by 
any means. As soon as he found himself thus 
bpxed up, that serpent lost all interest in the al- 
paca, and though I stood on the box he did all he 
could to raise me up and get out again. Once he did 
get his head out, but I gave him a sharp crack with 
the stick I carried, and he was glad enough to draw 
back. Then I yelled for some of the others, and 
they helped me to keep the box down. But in the 
meantime the ship was rolling frightfully, and all 
of us were afraid we were going to the bottom.” 

“ But you secured him at last, didn’t you ? ” 
went on Dave. 

“Yes, we got him at last, but it was only after 
one of the men had saturated a sponge with chloro- 
form, and stuffed it under one edge of the box. 
That was too much for his snakeship, and soon he 


94 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


was as limp as a rag, and then we placed him in a 
brand-new box.” 

“And what of the other snakes — did they get 
away ? ” 

“One little fellow got away, and though we 
looked all around for him afterward, we couldn’t 
spot him. I believe to this day that he got down 
in the hold, and the rats ate him up. The ship was 
alive with the biggest rats I ever set eyes on. That 
storm cost us the alpaca goat and two of my finest 
llamas, and for forty-eight hours we had such a 
circus on board that I shall never forget it as long 
as I live,” concluded the old hunter. 


CHAPTER XI 


THE ARRIVAL AT CAPE TOWN 

\ 

By consulting an atlas which Captain Pettibone 
kindly loaned him, Dave learned that Cape Town 
is about in the same latitude as Buenos Ayres, 
South America. This being so, he asked the cap- 
tain if they would sail down the South American 
coast and then across the Atlantic or take a 
straight course for Cape Town direct. 

“We’ll do neither, lad,” answered the master of 
the Golden Eagle. “To take advantage of both 
trade winds and ocean currents we will sail in a 
southerly direction until we gain about latitude 
25° and then we’ll follow the Antarctic current 
east by south, which will bring us straight into 
Cape Town harbor, weather permitting.” 

“ It’s a great thing to know all of the trade 
winds and ocean currents,” smiled the boy. 

“ So it is, lad, and let me tell you that even 
when you think you know the most on it there is 
something new turning up all the while. And 
95 


96 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


the half of it ain’t in the books neither,” added 
the captain with emphasis. 

“ I suppose you can sail by the stars — if you 
are put to it.” 

“To be sure. But a good compass is safer, — 
along with a chronometer and a quadrant or a sex- 
tant. Ye see, there ain’t no guesswork about 
mathematics.” 

Dave had now been over the ship from end to 
end and struck up an acquaintanceship with nearly 
everybody on board. He was greatly interested 
in the marine machinery and spent some time in- 
specting the great compound engines which were 
driving the Gc olden Eagle ahead with such steady 
speed. But down in the engine room it was, as 
he said, “pepperly hot,” and he could not stand it 
for more than half an hour at a time. 

“I wouldn’t want such a job as that,” he said 
to Captain Barton. “ It’s enough to stew one 
alive.” 

“Then I don’t believe you would want to settle 
down in equatorial Africa,” was the old hunter’s 
comment. “ It’s about as hot there at noonday 
as it is now in that engine room.” 

“I don’t see how the natives live.” 


THE ARRIVAL AT CAPE TOWN 


97 


“ Oh, they are used to it. But they don’t work, 
I can tell you that. During the heat of the day 
you will find a whole native village as quiet as a 
graveyard, not even a child stirring. What they 
have to do is done either in the early morning or 
in the evening.” 

As the steamer neared the coast of Africa the 
weather seemed to Dave to become hotter, and the 
three last nights on hoard were almost suffocating. 
The air was heavy, and the black smoke from the 
G-olden Eagle’s funnels let down a shower of smut 
which covered everything and caused the few 
ladies on board to quickly exchange their light- 
colored dresses for dark ones. 

To pass the time the passengers devised several 
games and even got up some races. On the last 
Sunday on board quite an impressive religious ser- 
vice was held by a missionary who was going out 
to a station in Zululand, in which he urged all of 
his hearers to do what they could for the cause of 
Christianity in the new walks of life which awaited 
them. “Remember, it is by example that we can 
teach best of all,” he said. “Faith without works 
is a mockery, and among the heathen will do more 
harm than good. We must show them that Chris- 


98 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


tianity means something which is real, not ideal.” 
The sermon was followed by the singing of several 
hymns, including one which was Martin Nelson’s 
favorite : — 

“ O, for a thousand tongues to sing 
My great Redeemer’s praise ; 

The glories of my God and King, 

The triumphs of his grace ! ” 

“It strikes the right spot, Dave,” whispered the 
father to his son. “ I hope that missionary is suc- 
cessful in all he tries to do.” Before the voyage 
came to an end Mr. Nelson sought out the man 
of God and unknown to even Dave gave him fifty 
dollars for the benefit of the good work. 

Now that it was known they might sight land 
at almost any hour, there was a good deal of bustle 
and excitement on board of the ship. That they 
were approaching the coast could be told by the 
flocks of birds which appeared and the floating 
brushwood. Without delay, Dave began to pack 
his valise. “I’m not going to be behind any of 
the others,” he told himself. 

At last, just at noon on a clear day, came the 
ever-welcome cry of “ Land O ! ” a cry that brought 
every passenger to the deck. At first little could 


THE ARRIVAL AT CAPE TOWN 


99 


be seen but a dark blue patch along the horizon 
to the eastward, but as they sailed on, the patch 
gradually took form until they made out Table 
Mountain, the Twelve Apostles, and other emi- 
nences behind Cape Town. Between these and 
the ship lay the sparkling waters of Table Bay, 
alive with shipping, as they could see as they came 
closer. Not far off they beheld the low-lying 
sandbank called Robben Island, the home of the 
South African leper settlement. 

“How large a place is Cape Town?” asked Dave 
of Captain Barton, as the ship pursued its way up 
Table Bay to the great breakwater and the quays 
beyond. 

“I reckon they have between sixty and seventy 
thousand people here, lad,” was the answer. “ You 
see, with so many coming and going all the time, 
it is hard to tell exactly how many there are. Cape 
Town is the principal port for all South African 
trade, and it is from here that most of the expe- 
ditions to the interior start, although to be sure 
Port Elizabeth, Durban, and other ports are also 
looming up.” 

“ I see all sorts of nationalities represented,” went 

on the youth, as he surveyed the various flags which 

Lof c. 


100 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


sprang into view. “ There must be a great jumble 
of population.” 

“ There is, but not more so than you will find 
right in New York, outside of some of the unciv- 
ilized blacks. But don’t imagine all of the blacks 
down here are not civilized. Some of them are 
well educated and dress better than either you 
or I. Emancipation for these people has done 
wonders.” 

Before sunset Mr. Nelson and Dave found them- 
selves on the quay, accompanied by Captain Barton 
and many of the other passengers. The old hunter 
had mentioned a comfortable hotel, located on 
Adderley Street, the main thoroughfare of the 
port, and it had been decided that all three should 
take rooms there for the present, until both men 
had time to “turn themselves,” as Mr. Nelson 
termed it. 

Cape carts, curious affairs on two wheels, some- 
times drawn by four horses, were numerous, but 
the little party decided to walk the distance, which 
was but short. As they trudged along Dave gazed 
at the numerous shops and buildings, and his face 
fell a trifle. 

“Not so very different from what we have at 


THE ARRIVAL AT CAPE TOWN 


101 


home,” he murmured. “ Although some of the 
signs are regular jaw-breakers.” 

“I thought you understood some German,” said 
the captain. 

“ So I do, but I am afraid there is a good deal 
of difference between that and South African 
Dutch.” 

“ The Dutch here is more like Low German than 
anything else,” put in Mr. Nelson. “It may come 
hard at first, but I believe we’ll master enough of 
it to get along.” 

“ A good many of the English out here never 
learn Dutch,” said the captain. “ They don’t leave 
the large cities, and consequently they have no use 
for the language. But if you go away into the 
country districts Dutch is indispensable.” 

The hotel was soon gained, a substantial three- 
story stone affair located on a prominent corner, 
and rooms were readily engaged for the three. 
Then Mr. Nelson and the captain went off to see 
about their baggage, leaving Dave to put in the 
balance of the day as he saw fit. 

As it was after dark the youth did not go far. 
Yet a stroll along the shop fronts proved interest- 
ing, and he saw, upon closer examination, that the 


102 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


variety of goods sold here was somewhat different 
from that at home. The blacks also interested 
him, and at one spot he paused to watch several 
good-natured Hottentots who were chatting gayly 
in their own language, not one word of which could 
he understand. There were also Kafirs and Malays, 
with here and there a Zulu, all mixed in with Eng- 
lish, Americans, Germans, Scotch, Irish, Portuguese, 
and nationalities which he could not name. He 
saw that Jews were by no means missing. 

“I suppose the fortune-seekers come from every- 
where,” he mused, as he retraced his steps to the 
hotel. “ That is the way it was in California and 
in Australia and is in Alaska, and it will be so in 
every country where they make a rich discovery 
of diamonds or gold.” 

When Dave reached the hotel he found that 
the baggage had come in, but neither his father 
nor Captain Barton had returned. For a while the 
boy stood on the steps waiting for them, and then 
he strolled into the reading room, where he soon 
became absorbed in a late issue of one of the local 
papers which reported some extra large finds of 
diamonds at the Kimberley mines. 

Dave had been reading for perhaps quarter of 


THE ARRIVAL AT CAPE TOWN 


103 


an hour, when, on glancing up, he thought he saw 
his father walking toward him. A second glance 
showed him, however, that it was not his parent, 
but a stranger. And yet the newcomer looked so 
much like his father that the resemblance was 
really wonderful. 

“Can it be Uncle Ralph?” thought the boy, 
and then, as the eyes of the man and boy met, he 
leaped forward impulsively. 

“Is this Mr. Ralph Nelson?” he asked eagerly. 

“ Yes,” was the quick answer, and a warm smile 
shone on the ruddy face of the newly arrived. 
“ And I take it that you are my nephew David 
Nelson. Am I right?” 


CHAPTER XII 


THE NELSONS DISCUSS THE SITUATION 

As I have said, Mr. Ralph Nelson resembled his 
brother greatly, excepting that he looked — as he 
really was — older. His hair was tinged with gray, 
but his eyes were as bright and his step as brisk as 
it had ever been. He shook hands warmly, and in- 
side of five minutes uncle and nephew felt perfectly 
at home with each other. 

“ I fancied I would find you here,” he said. “ I 
came down to Cape Town three days ago, but I had 
to take a run over to Port Elizabeth to see about 
some mining machinery that came. in from Philadel- 
phia.” 

“ And do you really buy mining machinery from 
us! ” cried Dave. “ I thought you Englishmen would 
use nothing but English machinery,” he added, half 
in jest. 

Mr. Ralph Nelson stroked his chin and laughed. 
“ You know better than that, Dave,” he said. “ Time 
was when both Americans and Englishmen were very 
104 


THE NELSONS DISCUSS THE SITUATION 105 


much prejudiced in favor of their own country. But 
that time is passing away swiftly, and I think that 
now each great branch of the Anglo-Saxon race 
thinks a good deal of its brother across the ocean.” 

“ You are right there, I am certain of it.” 

“And why shouldn’t we buy machinery of you, 
seeing that you buy English and Scotch dress-goods, 
and Irish linen, and plenty of other things, from us ? 
I believe there is enough for all of us, in the shape 
of work and money too, if it comes to that. But 
where is your father ? Surely he came with you.” 

“ Here comes father now,” answered Dave, as he 
caught sight of his parent at the door of the read- 
ing room. Soon the brothers who had been sepa- 
rated for so many years were fairly in each other’s 
arms, and a long and vigorous handshaking followed. 

“ It’s the same Martin ! ” cried Ralph Nelson. 
“ 4 Marty ’ I always called you. I would have known 
you in a minute. And you are well ? David doesn’t 
resemble you much.” 

“No, he takes after his mother,” answered Martin 
Nelson, and a shadow passed over the ex-ranch 
owner’s face as he thought of that lonely grave on 
the Brazos River. He had stipulated that that grave 
should not be disturbed so long as the body rested 


106 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


there. Some day he would buy a family plot else- 
where. “ Yes, I am very well,” he went on. “ And 
how is Isabel, and Will, and Alice ? ” 

“ Will and little Alice are very well. The wife, 
though, is rather delicate, as I wrote you, and I am 
afraid she is getting ready to have the fever.” 
Ralph Nelson turned to his nephew. “ Will wanted 
to come with me — he was almost crazy to come — 
to bring you up, but I thought it best for one of us to 
stay at home, in case something unusual turned up. 
You must know he is my right-hand man at the farm.” 

“ So he wrote me,” returned Dave. “ I am as 
anxious to meet him as he is to meet me. We have 
already arranged for a grand hunt together.” 

“ So I see by the letter. But I fancy your father 
and you will want to get settled here before that 
comes off — that is, if you conclude to stay after you 
have looked the ground over.” 

“ Yes, we will want to settle down first,” put in 
Martin Nelson. “ The hunting can wait.” 

Captain Barton now came in and was introduced, 
and then the Nelsons betook themselves to the room 
Dave’s father had engaged. Here they sat up until 
after eleven o’clock, talking over their family affairs 
and speculating over future prospects. 


THE NELSONS DISCUSS THE SITUATION 107 

“ Before I left home, Will came in with the news 
that the Dutchman who owns the farm next to 
mine wishes to sell out,” said Ralph Nelson. “ It 
seems a rich relative of his in Holland has died, and 
he wants to go to Amsterdam to care for the estate. 
I cannot say that this farm is any better than mine, 
but I think it is just as good. It is a little farther 
up the hillside, but there is good running water. 
The Dutchman, whose name is Hans Guelmann, 
stocked the farm with good cattle less than two 
years ago, and he has about sixty ostriches besides, 
and a small herd of sheep. If you concluded to go 
into farming, I think it might pay you to look into 
his offer to sell out. Perhaps you can get his place 
for a good deal less than its real value.” 

“ I can tell better what I want to do after I have 
looked around,” returned Martin Nelson. “ I do 
not want to decide on anything too quickly.” 

“ Oh, no, I wouldn’t either. You must come up 
to our house and make yourselves at home there un- 
til you have looked around to your hearts’ content,” 
interposed Ralph Nelson, hastily. “I mentioned 
this only because Will spoke of it. He said it 
would be so nice to have you near to us.” 

“ That would be nice,” exclaimed Dave. “ What 


108 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


do you suppose this Hans Guelmann considers his 
farm worth ? ” 

“ Oom Hans told me once he thought the farm 
worth six hundred pounds — three thousand dollars. 
But I doubt if anybody will give that for it.” 

“ Why do you call him Oom ? Is he an office- 
holder?” 

“ No, he’s only an ordinary farmer. But, like 
lots of elderly men who are above the common level, 
he is called oom, which means literally uncle, and 
his wife is known as tante, or Tant’ Frederica, 
which means Aunt Frederica. Some of the men 
around the farm started to call me Oom Rodol- 
phus once, but I soon put a stop, to that. You see 
there is no Dutch in me,” and Ralph Nelson 
laughed. 

“ Flow do you get along with your Dutch neigh- 
bors ? ” asked his brother. 

“ I get along very well, because I mind my own 
affairs and let them mind theirs. They are rather 
suspicious of us Englishmen, and they won’t allow us 
to interfere with any of what they consider their nat- 
ural born rights. The foreigners have more troubles 
in the towns — especially in Johannesburg — than 
they do on the farms. In the towns they are taxed 


THE NELSONS DISCUSS THE SITUATION 109 


very heavily and get very little for the money they 
are compelled to give up.” 

44 Perhaps the Dutch think that those who own 
the mines ought to pay the most of the taxes,” 
suggested Dave. 

44 That’s just it, my lad ; but I think the divi- 
sion of the tax rate isn’t a fair one, especially 
when you consider that a Uitlander, as they call 
us, must live here fourteen years before he can 
become a citizen. And not only must he live here 
fourteen years, but during that time he has, prac- 
tically, to give up his own country, and even then 
he can’t become a citizen unless the government 
voted him such, after a searching examination into 
his case. To obtain the right of franchise is the 
worst feature of public affairs in the Transvaal, 
and some day I am afraid it will cause much 
trouble.” 

44 Then perhaps I had better not invest here,” 
laughed Mr. Nelson. 44 1 didn’t come six thou- ’ 
sand miles over the ocean to get into any political 
wrangle.” 

44 Oh, I don’t anticipate any great trouble, Martin, 
at least, not so far as the farms are concerned. 
The trouble will be over the mining properties. 


110 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


English capital, you know, will not stand being 
bulldozed, for it is English capital that has 
revealed the real wealth of the Transvaal mines.” 

Ralph Nelson wished to remain in Cape Town 
for two days longer, to attend to some mining 
business, and Martin Nelson and Dave were per- 
fectly willing to wait for him until he should be 
ready to leave for home. 

“We can take a look around,” said Mr. Nelson; 
and on the following day, he and Dave visited the 
House of Parliament, the most prominent building 
of tfie town, set in a beautiful garden filled with 
trees, shrubs, and statuary ; the old Town House 
and the Castle, both reminders of the days of 
Dutch supremacy ; and the Public Museum and 
Botanical Gardens. They also looked in at the 
Standard Bank, the greatest banking institution 
of South Africa, and walked through the really 
excellent Public Library. The main street of the 
'town was devoid of shade, but many side thorough- 
fares were lined with eucalyptus trees and oaks, 
while farther on the outskirts they ran across 
hedges of aloes, with here and there a stone wall 
thickly covered with semi-tropical vines. 

“ What takes my eyes is these great Boer wagons 


THE NELSONS DISCUSS THE SITUATION 111 


with their long strings of oxen,” remarked Dave. 
“ The wagon that just passed had twelve pairs of 
oxen attached to it. Such a pulling force ought 
to be able to go through anything — that is, if the 
wagon holds out.” 

“It goes to prove that some of the roads must 
be something awful,” answered Mr. Nelson. “ Why, 
I don’t believe the pioneers in the West ever had 
more than six pairs of beasts hooked up.” 

“But it must be fun to travel that way,” went 
on Dave. “ I think I would rather do it than go 
in a railroad train.” 

“For a few hundred miles, maybe,” laughed his 
father. “You would soon tire of it, especially if 
you were caught in a storm and could get no dry 
wood for a camp-fire. You know what it is to be 
out on the ranges in the wet.” 

On the following day, Ralph Nelson, having a 
few hours of liberty, hired a cart with four horses 
attached, and took them for a drive up Table 
Mountain and to the great reservoir which supplies 
Cape Town with water. The view from this alti- 
tude was magnificent, especially through a power- 
ful field-glass which Captain Barton had loaned 
them. The captain had been invited to accom- 


112 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


pany the party, but had declined, stating he must 
attend to the purchasing of some supplies before 
going with them as far as Pretoria on the rail- 
road. He himself was going straight through to 
Pietersburg, the end of the line. 

“An ideal spot for a summer home, eh?” said 
Ralph Nelson, while they were partaking of the 
lunch they had brought along. 

“ I don’t know. How about it when the wind 
blows?” returned his brother. 

“ Oh, I rather think it would blow you right 
off into the bay,” was the answer. 

The reservoir was not yet completed, and the 
working men were using an aerial tram for hoist- 
ing cement and other building material. The 
tram ran downward on a heavy wire to a distance 
of over two thousand feet, and the party was 
invited to take the journey down and back in a 
little car. The elder Nelsons declined, but Dave 
made the trip, along with one of the working 
foremen, who signalled the engineer to let them 
go at full speed. Down they went with a rush 
that fairly took away Dave’s breath, and made 
him think that the bottom had dropped out of 
everything. He was sure there would be a final 


THE NELSONS DISCUSS THE SITUATION 118 


smash-up, but he was mistaken, for they came to 
a standstill with the greatest of ease. The journey 
upward was much slower; and once at the top 
again, the youth rejoined his father and his uncle, 
and all drove back as they had come. 


i 


CHAPTER XIII 


THE START FROM CAPE TOWN 

“ Well, this doesn’t look much like one of our 
trains,” remarked Dave, as, on the following morn- 
ing, the party made their way to the railway station 
where they were to take the cars for the one thou- 
sand miles’ journey to Pretoria. 

“ They are hardly like English trains, either,” 
laughed his uncle. “This is a mixture of English 
and Dutch. You will now have an opportunity 
to see what a really slow train means. They only 
travel twelve to fourteen miles an hour.” 

“Well, they have some pretty stiff hills to get 
over,” put in Captain Barton. “We have got to 
climb an elevation of about three thousand feet 
before we strike the great plain called the Karroo.” 

Their train was in, and soon they were seated in 
the stuffy little coach, the bell rang, the whistle 
blew, and they were off, up the hills and around 
the mountains leading to the town of Worcester, 
the first stopping-place of importance. The coach 


THE START FROM CAPE TOWN 


115 


was filled with Englishmen, evidently miners, with 
here and there a stolid looking Dutchman, sub- 
stantially dressed in a coarse suit of gray, big 
slouch hat, and heavy shoes or boots. So far all 
of the Dutchmen Dave had seen wore long, tangled 
beards, and he discovered that this was the pre- 
vailing style throughout the Transvaal and Orange 
Free State. 

Soon Cape Town was left behind, and after climb- 
ing several hills the train entered the valley of 
Paarl, where are situated vast vineyards cultivated 
by Frenchmen who, in former years, considered the 
quaint old village of Paarl all their own. Close 
at hand was W ellington, famous for its corn-grow- 
ing belt. 

“ Hullo, this looks something like Kansas,” ex- 
claimed Martin Nelson, as he pointed to the belt. 
“ I don’t know but what I would feel quite at 
home to settle down here.” 

When Worcester, a hundred miles away from 
Cape Town, was gained, and a ten minutes’ stop 
made, Dave was glad enough to get down on the 
platform and stretch his legs. It was a typical 
country place, and at the public market, but a step 
away, he saw an abundance of farm products and 


116 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


fruits. One sign, however, was new to him. It 
read, “Ostrich eggs for hatching, guaranteed.” 

“I didn’t know they could move ostrich eggs,” 
he said to his uncle. 

“ They can — with birds that have been brought 
up in captivity. You can’t do anything with the 
eggs of a wild ostrich. If you disturb the nest, 
neither the hen nor the cock will go near it 
again.” 

“ I’m just crazy to get to an ostrich farm,” went 
on the boy, eagerly. 

His uncle patted him on the shoulder. “ I am 
glad to find you so enthusiastic,” he said. “ I trust 
that you don’t get tired after the novelty wears off.” 

Worcester left behind, the train began to ascend 
the Hex River Pass, travelling mile after mile of 
the upward grade, around hills and mountains, with 
sheer cliffs on one side and giddy valleys on the 
other, across rushing torrents which looked as if 
they might sweep away the spidery iron bridges 
at any instant. 

“ I always thought this was the finest scenery in 
South Africa,” remarked Captain Barton, as he 
brought out his pipe for a comfortable smoke. “ It 
reminds me a good bit of the Rocky Mountains.” 


THE START FROM CAPE TOWN 


117 


“An’ it reminds me o’ the Highlands o’ Scoot- 
land,” returned a tall Scotchman, who sat close 
at hand. “ An’ there’s nae finer sceneries nor 
that,” he added emphatically. 

There was a relative of Ralph Nelson’s wife liv- 
ing at Matjesfontein, and at his suggestion the 
entire party decided to stop there over night, Mr. 
Nelson assuring Captain Barton that he would be 
as welcome as any of the others. “In his time 
John Brunker was a great hunter,” he said. “ And 
no doubt he will be glad to ‘swap yarns’ with 
you, as you Americans put it.” 

Matjesfontein is located in the very midst of 
the plateau of the Great Karroo, a small collection 
of buildings set down in a wide, desert-like expanse, 
with here and there a clump of stunted trees or 
patch of sickly looking grass, dry, and covered with 
the red dust which circulated everywhere. 

“ This doesn’t look promising,” whispered Dave 
to his father. 

“ No, but let us not judge too hastily,” returned 
Martin Nelson. “The farms, you see, are not 
right by the railway station. It may look better 
farther back in the country.” 

Fortunately John Brunker, who was Mrs. Nel- 


118 BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 

son’s cousin, was in town doing some trading. He 
greeted Ralph Nelson warmly, and said he would 
be only too glad to have visitors up to his place, 
as his wife had said only the day before that it 
was getting lonely. Inside of a few minutes he 
brought around his “spider,” as the carriage was 
called, and they all piled in and set off on a trot 
across the wide veldt in the direction of the Brunker 
homestead. 

“They tell me you are a hunter,” said Captain 
Barton, as they bowled along. “Any game left 
here? ” 

“Not much,” answered John Brunker. “Some 
quail and partridge and koran is about all — 
although last summer I went up to the vley (spring) 
and brought down one of the finest springboks I 
ever set eyes on. Of course, there are still some 
wild ostriches about.” 

The evening was a perfect one, but soon it grew 
dark, and but little could be seen of the spoor, or 
trail, which they were following. Presently they 
crossed a small stream, called by the natives a 
spruit, and then struck a section which seemed to 
be far more fertile than that just passed. 

“ Here we are,” announced John Brunker, and 


THE START FROM CAPE TOWN 


119 


looking ahead Dave made out a long, low building 
surrounded by several other structures and a hedge 
of thorns. The long, low building was the dwell- 
ing-house, the others the cattle and sheep kraals, 
and the huts of the Kafir and Hottentot hired 
hands. 

A tall Kafir came out, lantern in hand, to take 
charge of the turnout. He was an intelligent-look- 
ing fellow, and spoke English fluently. “ Koje says 
three of the hens have run away,” he announced, 
meaning three female ostriches. 

“You must hunt them up, Wombo,” replied 
John Brunker. “We cannot afford to lose them, 
and if they get off too far some of those rascally 
Hottentots will surely kill them on the sly and 
make off with the meat and the feathers.” 

“ It was Koje’s fault that they ran away,” 
grumbled the Kafir. 

“ If it was, Koje shall hear from me,” went on the 
owner of the place. “Come in, all of you,” he con- 
tinued, turning to his visitors. 

“I’d like to see him round up those ostriches,” 
said Dave. “ I suppose it is a good bit different 
from rounding up cattle in Texas.” 

“ A stranger couldn’t round them up very well,” 


120 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


said John Br linker. “They would run for miles 
and miles at the sight of you. But they know 
Wombo, and he’ll half coax them and half drive 
them back to the kraal. It isn’t often that any of 
my flock run away, — they are so thoroughly do- 
mesticated, — that is, all but one old cock we call 
Boxer. I can hardly do a thing with him, and he 
goes where he pleases, unless we tie him.” 

Mrs. Brunker was indeed glad to see them, and 
late as it was, insisted upon having the Hottentot 
cook prepare a warm supper for them, of fried 
potatoes, mutton balls, and hot biscuits, with coffee, 
to which the lady of the house added a dish of 
delicious sweetmeats of her own making. 

The home was a typical one for this neighbor- 
hood. The main house was two stories high, the 
addition, containing the dining room, kitchen, and 
storeroom, but one story. The windows were 
broad, and each was fitted with a heavy wooden 
shutter which could be barred from within. The 
walls were of plain white plaster, scantily covered 
with prints and engravings, and all of the floors 
were bare, with here and there a fancy rug or pre- 
pared skin of some wild animal. The furniture 
had been imported from England, all but an old- 


THE START FROM CAPE TOWN 


121 


fashioned Dutch sofa, seven feet long and fully three 
feet broad, and in one corner of the broad parlor 
stood a tiny melodeon which had been left to 
Mrs. Brunker by her aunt. 

The day’s travel had worn Dave out, and that 
night he slept “like a rock,” as he told his father 
in the morning. But he was up at daybreak, 
eager to see as much as possible of the farm before 
starting back for the railroad station. 

His first steps took him to the huts of the natives, 
primitive affairs of rough stone covered with either 
thatch or galvanized iron. Here several of the 
farm hands had their families, and Dave could not 
help but laugh at the little Kafirs and Hottentots, 
some of them but two or three years old, who were 
running about with hardly any clothing on them. 
He tried to make friends with the youngsters, but 
they were shy and ran for cover as soon as he 
approached. They were chattering in the Zulu 
tongue, so that he could not understand a word 
of what was said. 

From the huts he passed to the sheep and cattle 
kraals. The farm hands were just letting the 
cattle out to pasture, and to Dave the scene 
looked very much as such scenes looked at home. 


122 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


Cattle and sheep wandered off listlessly, as if 
hardly knowing what to do for the day. “ I sup- 
pose hunting up a rich pasture is rather difficult 
around here,” thought the boy. 

The last of the sheep having departed, Dave 
strolled over to the ostrich yard. Here were fully 
two hundred ostriches, young and old, strutting 
around carefully, their long necks and heads bob- 
bing back and forth as they walked. In one 
corner of the yard there was a great flutter and 
rapping of wings, and the boy saw two young cocks 
having a regular cock-fight all by themselves. But 
the fight came to a quick end when a large hen 
bird came rushing up, with outstretched wings, 
and separated the combatants. 

Dave was leaning upon the rough stone wall of 
the ostrich kraal, thinking what a powerful bird 
an ostrich was, and now queer it was that the bird 
did not fly, when suddenly a cry of warning reached 
his ears, coming from the rear of the dwelling- 
house. A Hottentot woman was shaking her hand 
at him. 

“America boy run ! ” shouted the woman. “ Run 
or get hurt ! Run quick, America boy.” 

“ Why, what’s up ? ” began Dave, as he looked 


THE START FROM CAPE TOWN 


123 


at her in bewilderment. u I don’t see anything to 
hurt me.” 

“ You run quick ! Look ! look ! Um bad Boxer 
come fo’ you ! ” And the Hottentot woman pointed 
w T ith her hand. Turning in the direction indicated, 
which was down the path leading to the open veldt 
behind the house, Dave saw what had caused her 
to cry out. A monstrous cock ostrich was coming 
for him full tilt, with wings and neck outstretched, 
and with a glitter in his eyes which bode the youth 
much evil. The strides of the angry bird were 
enormous, fully ten to twelve feet long, and in a 
few seconds he was almost on top of the boy. 


CHAPTER XIV 


DAYE AND THE WILD OSTRICH 

It must be confessed that for an instant Dave’s 
heart leaped into his throat. He knew very little 
about ostriches, but he had read that they were 
almost as powerful as any wild animal of their 
size, and had been known to kick or strike a per- 
son to death with those drumstick legs or elastic 
wings. 

At first, as the ostrich came closer, he backed 
up against the stone wall, half of a mind to leap 
over. But he did not know but what this might 
be leaping “ from the frying-pan into the fire,” 
for beyond were two hundred ostriches, while on 
the outer side there was only one. And yet that 
one looked more savage than all of the rest put 
together. His eyes were as glittering as those of 
a snake, and as he rushed onward Dave’s blood 
almost froze in his veins. 

“ Get out of here ! ” he yelled, but the ostrich 
paid no attention to his voice further than to let 


124 


DAVE AND THE WILD OSTRICH 


125 


out a sound which closely resembled a hiss of rage. 
It was Boxer, the bird John Brunker had men- 
tioned, and one who took a particular dislike to 
any new face that showed itself on the farm. 

Just as the bird was about to leap upon Dave, 
the youth dodged and jumped. Down came the 
ostrich, its mighty foot and leg shooting past the 
boy’s ear with lightning-like rapidity and strength. 
Had Dave been hit it is likely that his earthly 
career would have ended then and there, for such 
a blow is as bad as one from a club. 

The ostrich could not stop his flight at once, and 
covered fully twelve yards before he came to a halt, 
when he wheeled around and started for another 
attack. By this time Dave was running for the 
house at top speed, but it was easy to see that the 
ostrich would overtake him long before he could 
reach a place of safety. The boy wished he had 
a pistol, but unfortunately all of his firearms were 
packed up in his luggage. 

“ Drop ! drop ! ” yelled a voice from one of the 
barns. “ Drop, or you will be killed ! ” 

The advice was well meant, but Dave did not 
accept it, since to him it looked more advisable to 
run than to lie down and let the bird maul him. 


126 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


To drop down is a favorite Kafir trick, for an 
ostrich cannot make a good strike at an object 
lying flat, and the natives watch their chances 
to catch the bird by the head and wring his neck. 

As the ostrich made another flying leap at the 
youth, he dodged again. But this second move 
was not so successful as the first, and Dave received 
a crack on the shoulder that bowled him over and 
over in the dust of the dooryard. The blow was 
but a glancing one, however, and the force of it 
sent the ostrich rolling on his side. 

Swish ! There was a strange rushing sound 
through the air, and suddenly a long rawhide lash 
encircled the ostrich’s neck, depriving the bird of 
his wind and causing him to flutter about with pain. 
Wombo the Kafir had thrown his sjambok, a whip 
very much in use in South Africa, and caught the 
ostrich fairly and squarely. That the beast’s neck 
was not cut or broken was simply because it was 
more than usually tough. 

“A good strike! ” came from John Brunker, as 
he ran from the dwelling, gun in hand. At the 
first cry of the Hottentot woman he had snatched 
up the weapon. He now saw that it would not 
be necessary to kill the cock, that was really a 


DAVE AND THE WILD OSTRICH 


127 


valuable breeder, but still he held the firearm ready 
should matters take a new turn. 

But the blow from the sjambok had had its full 
effect, and when the lash loosened and fell to the 
ground a good part of the fight had been knocked 
out of the ostrich. With head hanging down he 
walked slowly toward the end of the kraal, and 
then disappeared behind one of the outbuildings. 
To this place Wombo followed him, and presently 
the ostrich found himself a close prisoner in a 
pen which had been constructed especially for his 
accommodation. 

“Are you much hurt?” questioned John Brunker, 
as he assisted Dave to his feet. 

“I — I think not,” panted the youth. “ But — 
but — where is he ? ” 

“He has run away. He shan’t bother you any 
more — my word on that. Where did he strike 
you?” 

“ On the shoulder, and I guess he drew blood, 
too. I’m mighty glad it wasn’t my head he hit.” 
And Dave drew a long breath. A good deal 
of the color was gone from his face. “I had no 
idea an ostrich could be so vicious — that is, an 
ostrich around a farm.” 


128 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“ Some of them are so wild they can never be 
tamed, while others are as gentle as one would 
wish. Go in the house and have your shoulder 
attended to. I’ll go and see that Boxer can get 
into no more mischief.” 

In the house it was found that Dave had suffered 
two ugly scratches several inches long, and these 
were immediately washed with brandy as a pre- 
caution against blood-poisoning, and then covered 
with salve and bound up by Mrs. Brunker. Mr. 
Martin Nelson and his brother, as well as Captain 
Barton, had just arisen, and consequently knew 
nothing of the affair until it was over. 

“You want to be careful of yourself after this,” 
said Dave’s father, with a deep shudder. “ Sup- 
posing that ostrich had killed you? It would have 
broken my heart, and I would never have forgiven 
myself for bringing you to South Africa.” 

“ I will be careful after this,” replied Dave. “ In 
the future I shall carry my pistol with me. If I 
had had that, I could have put that bird out of 
the way with ease.” 

“Don’t be too sure of that,” put in Captain 
Barton. “ I once fired three shots into a wild 
ostrich — good hits, too — and yet he outran my 


DAVE AND THE WILD OSTRICH 


129 


horse and got away. They are as tough as sole 
leather, those critters. ,, 

“The tame ones are easy enough to handle,” 
said Ralph Nelson. “ It is only when you get an 
old bird like Boxer that there is trouble. If he 
was mine I would have cut off his head long 
ago.” 

John Brunker was very sorry that anything had 
occurred to mar the pleasantness of the visit, and 
was profuse in his apologies for having allowed 
the vicious bird his liberty. “When he gets out 
again I’ll hobblfe him,” he said, meaning that he 
would tie one foot of the ostrich to the other in 
such a fashion that the creature could walk but 
not run. 

Breakfast was speedily disposed of, and after a 
short walk around the farm, the travellers were 
taken down to the railway station. It proved a 
windy day, and the veldt, especially around the bald 
spots, was covered with whirlwinds of dust which 
alternately choked them and caused them to sneeze 
most vociferously. But soon the train came along 
which was to take them as far as De Aar, and they 
got aboard and left Matjesfontein behind. 

Although windy, the day proved what Dave 


130 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


called a “scorcher,” and lie was glad that he was 
in a position to get what breeze there was, al- 
though even that was as hot as though it came 
out of a bake oven. As the Great Karroo was 
left behind the vegetation increased, and presently 
they came to where immense herds of cattle could 
be seen, tended by Hottentots or other natives, 
some affecting a European dress and others wear- 
ing little more than their native outfits. At one 
stopping place they saw a kraal filled with tame 
antelopes, beautiful creatures who looked as if they 
were ready to make friends with anybody. 

At De Aar there is a connection with Naauwpoort 
by which the traveller from Cape Town can get on 
the line running from Port Elizabeth and Port 
Alfred to Bloemfontein, Pretoria, Pietersburg, and 
other points in the Orange Free State and the 
Transvaal, the Cape Town road running up to 
Kimberley, Maf eking, Palapye and other places in 
Bechuanaland and Rhodesia. The stop at De Aar 
was but a short one, and also the one at Naauw- 
poort, and late at night they left the train at 
Bloemfontein. 

“ This is the capital of the Orange Free State,” 
said Ralph Nelson to Dave. “It is quite an old 


DAVE AND THE WILD OSTRICH 


131 


settlement, and does a fair amount of business, I 
understand. The capital covers a whole block of 
buildings. There are two banks and a big general 
market, besides several blocks of stores. If you 
get up early, we can take a look around.” 

44 There seem to be quite a few Dutchman here,” 
replied Dave. “ More than I’ve seen yet.” 

“We are coming into the Dutchman’s own coun- 
try now, you know,” smiled the uncle. “ Although 
you will find all of the large cities crowded with 
Englishmen and other Uitlanders.” 

Despite his lame shoulder, Dave slept well that 
night, and so long that when he awakened he found 
that he would hardly have time to get his breakfast 
before train time. He hurried through his toilet, 
however, with all speed, and managed, after eating, 
to “stretch his legs,” although not for a consider- 
able distance. 

“To-night will see us in Pretoria,” said Ralph 
Nelson. 44 There is ho use of our stopping at Jo- 
hannesburg, as you can go back to that city with 
me later on.” 

“No, we needn’t stop — at least for me,” put in 
Captain Barton. “ I am going through to the end 
of the line without further loss of time. It won’t be 


132 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


long before the company which I represent will be 
wanting to know what I am doing.” 

44 I’ll be awfully sorry to part with you, Captain 
Barton,” said Dave. 44 1 trust we meet again before 
you leave Africa.” 

44 And so do I, lad. I’ll come down to Pretoria 
and hunt you up if I can,” answered the old hunter. 
44 But before that time comes I trust to bag lots of 
game, I can tell you that.” 

From Bloemfontein the run was straight to 
Kroonstad, a distance of over a hundred miles. 
For the most part the railway ran directly over the 
veldt, and as the roadbed accommodated itself to 
the lay of the land, the cars were continually bob- 
bing up and down or swinging from side to side. 
Occasionally they would swing around a hill or 
across a river, and here would be encountered 
patches of forest and wild shrubs, some of the latter 
of a most gorgeous coloring. At the Yaal River 
there was a short halt, and Dave thus got a good 
look at the turbulent stream which had given to the 
Transvaal its name. 

“This train doesn’t go directly to Johannesburg,” 
explained Ralph Nelson. 44 To go there one must 
change on to a short spur coming in at Elandsfon- 
tein Junction.” 


DAVE AND THE WILD OSTRICH 


133 


44 W ell, it is getting too dark to see much, any- 
way,” put in Martin Nelson. 44 And I must say my 
eyes 'hurt from watching the scenery so closely.” 

Lunch was had while the train kept rushing on, 
trying to make up for the time lost at the Vaal. 
Then the smoky little lamps were lit and they came 
into the Junction station where they stopped for 
several minutes. 

44 And now for the last stage of the trip ! ” cried 
Ralph Nelson. 44 We will be in Pretoria in less 
than an hour and a quarter, and I am pretty sure 
Will, and perhaps some of the others, will be there 
to meet us.” 


CHAPTER XV 


PRETORIA AND PRESIDENT KRUEGER 

“ My own Cousin Dave ! How glad I am to see 
you at last ! ” 

It was Will Nelson who spoke, as he rushed 
forward on the railway platform at Pretoria and 
caught Dave by the hand and shoulder. Ilis face 
was full of such a warm, brotherly smile that it 
went straight to Dave’s heart, and in less than five 
minutes the two cousins felt as though they had 
known each other for years. 

“ I’ve been on the lookout for you for two days,” 
went on the English lad. “ If you hadn’t shown 
up on this train, I would have been the most disap- 
pointed lad in the Transvaal. How are you, and 
how did you stand the trip across the ocean? I 
hope you weren’t seasick? And that ride on the 
railway ! I’ll wager you laughed at that. Every- 
body does who comes up here. They say the line 
is about fifty years behind the times. Come ahead, 
134 





“My own Cousin Dave!” 


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PRETORIA AND PRESIDENT KRUEGER 135 


our carriage is oyer there on the next comer.” 
And thus rattling on Will led Dave out of the 
station and to where a turnout with four sturdy 
horses stood in waiting to take the entire party 
to Ralph. Nelson’s farm. 

Mrs. Nelson and little Alice had remained at 
ho'me, fearing that the train would be so late that 
the journey to the farm would take until after 
midnight. 44 But they are just as anxious to see 
all of you as I am,” said Will. 44 Little Alice 
has got it all planned out what Dave is to do for 
her — mend her broken dolls, give her rides on 
his shoulder, and I don’t know what all. Oh, but 
we’ll have great times ! ” He slapped Dave on 
the back. 44 You can’t understand how I feel, it’s 
so good to have a chum again ! ” 

44 But I do understand,” answered Dave. 44 Wasn’t 
I on the ranch for months, with no other boy around ? 
Why, when one of my friends from the academy 
once paid me a visit I fairly danced a jig for joy, 
and then — ” 

44 They both got into so much mischief that I 
had to stop them,” finished Martin Nelson. 44 I’m 
afraid Uncle Ralph will have to put a curb on 
both of you.” 


136 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“ Oh, I’m older than I was then,” returned Dave. 
He leaped into the three-seated carriage. 44 This 
is fine ! Do you do much driving ? ” 

44 Quite some ; but I’m out on my horse most 
of the time,” answered Will, as they started off. 

It was too dark to see anything of Pretoria but 
the few stores which still remained open. Street 
lamps were few and far between after leaving the 
centre of the city, and they had to pick their way 
carefully along the highway which was much the 
worse for the traffic of heavy ox carts and farm 
wagons. Soon the last of the city houses were 
left behind, and they struck a trail leading into a 
valley and across a limpid stream bordered upon 
either side with a heavy growth of trees and brush. 
In the town it had been hot and dusty, here the 
air was positively cool and remarkably refreshing. 

44 Yes, I know these woods like a book,” said 
Will, in reply to a question from Dave. 44 But 
game is scarce — only a few birds, with now and 
then a small animal. Gemsbok and other specie 
of deer have entirely disappeared, and we will have 
to go miles and miles away when we take that 
hunting tour.” 

44 And we will have to get settled before that 


PRETORIA AND PRESIDENT KRUEGER 


137 


comes off,” answered Dave. “You know,” he 
added soberly “ we didn’t' come out here for sport, 
we came to 'ma^e a living.” 

On and on went the carriage, the horses knowing 
the road perfectly. There was no moon overhead, 
but the clear sky was filled with countless stars, 
and when they emerged upon the open veldt Dave 
found that he could see farther than expected. At 
last they approached a stony but wooded kopje 
which arose from the plain to a height of seventy 
or eighty feet, presenting a sheer cliff to the north 
and a sloping patch of stubble to the south. At 
the foot of the kopje was a small spruit winding 
in and out over a bed of brown and yellow sand. 

“ This is the beginning of our farm,” announced 
Will. “When we get around the hill you will 
see the light in the sitting-room window. Mother 
always places it there when one of us is away.” 
And soon the light greeted them, and Dave made 
out half a dozen outbuildings and huts with a 
square-built house surmounted with a small tower 
standing behind them. The buildings were enclosed 
with heavy stone walls, some of which had been 
plastered with mud which the hot summer sun 
had baked to clay. The home was of stone, with 


188 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


a thatched roof, and overrun with vines and 
creepers. 

The coming of the wagon had evidently been 
heard, for the turnout had not yet entered the 
dooryard when the wide hall door was flung open 
and Mrs. Nelson appeared, accompanied by Lola, 
the Hottentot girl Will had mentioned in his letter, 
who carried a lamp in her hand. 

“All here, mother, safe and sound ! ” cried Will, 
and leaped to the ground, followed by the others. 
Then came a girlish cry and a little figure in white 
rushed past her mother and down the steps of the 
broad piazza. 

“ Where is my Cousin Dave ? ” piped up an eager 
voice. “ I want to see my Cousin Dave.” 

“ Here I am,” cried Dave in return, and catching 
his Cousin Alice in his arms, he gave her a tight 
hug and half a dozen kisses. “ Of course we are 
awfully glad to see each other, and we are going 
to have immense times together, aren’t we ? ” he 
went on. 

“Yes, we are going to have just the bestest times 
ever was,” answered little Alice, as she kept tight 
hold of his hand. She was a mere slip of a crea- 
ture, with big blue v eyes and golden hair, which fell 


PRETORIA AND PRESIDENT KRUEGER 139 


over her shoulders in a shower, and to Dave she 
seemed a regular fairy. 

A few minutes later found them all in the sit- 
ting room, one of the Kafir boys having taken 
charge of the horses and carriage. Mrs. Nelson 
greeted the newcomers with as much warmth as 
had her husband and son, and at once ordered 
Suma, the Hottentot cook, to serve the supper 
which had been prepared in expectation of their 
arrival. “ I know lunching on the train is not 
what it might be,” she said, “for when Ralph 
makes a trip to the Cape he generally returns 
home half starved.” 

The supper was what Dave put down “ as a regu- 
lar bona-fide spread,” and it must be added that all 
did full justice to what was set before them in the 
shape of well-cooked meat, vegetables, pastry, and 
coffee with cream, and preserved fruit. it was 
served in a long, low dining room filled with furni- 
ture which Mrs. Nelson’s parents had brought with 
them from London. The entire house was filled 
with this furniture, thus giving it quite an English 
appearance. 

It can well be imagined that none of the older 
persons went to bed until late, there was so much 


140 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


to talk about and so many questions to be asked 
and answered. Little Alice went to sleep curled 
up on Dave’s lap, and altogether it looked like the 
happiest of family gatherings. “I tell you that 
blood counts for a good bit,” said Ralph Nelson, 
when they parted for the night. u I am exceedingly 
glad to have those of my own kin near me once more.” 

“ And I am glad to be with you, brother,” an- 
swered Martin Nelson. “And as for our two boys — - 
I guess they have sworn eternal chumship already.” 

The days to follow were the busiest Dave had 
ever put in. There was so much to see, so many 
places to visit, that he kept on the go from morn- 
ing to night, and when bedtime came he would 
find himself so tired that he could scarcely sit up 
to undress. Will was as eager to show him around 
as Dave was to go, and sometimes the boys were 
gone all day, taking their dinners with them and 
riding on horseback. Once they went over to 
Pretoria and visited the post-office, several of the 
largest stores, and peeped in at the capital building, 
a magnificent structure put up at a cost of two hun- 
dred thousand pounds, about a million dollars. The 
Dutch Volksraad, or Congress, was in session, and 
they managed to get a view of this legislative body, 


PRETORIA AND PRESIDENT KRUEGER 141 

which corresponds, in a general way, to the Parlia- 
ment of England or Congress of the United States. 
The hall was a large one, painted in red and green, 
and liberally decorated with national flags and coats 
of arms of the South African Republic. The chair- 
man was seated on a long platform, along with sev- 
eral others, while the ordinary members of the 
chamber sat at three long “ horseshoe ” tables below. 
The speechmaking was all in Dutch, and Dave had 
to listen very closely to make out even a small part 
of what was being discussed. 

u The stout gentleman on the right of the chair- 
man — the man with the regalia across his breast — 
is President Krueger,” whispered Will. “They say 
he is a very easy-going man, but he is mighty 
shrewd, too.” 

u He certainly looks like a fine old Dutch gentle- 
man,” was Dave’s comment, as he gazed at the 
grave, sober face. “ I don’t believe he is the kind 
of a man to do anything in a hurry. Who is that 
man in full military uniform who just entered and ' 
took a seat near him ? ” 

“ That is General Joubert, the commandant of all 
the Boer army in the Transvaal. He was the Chief 
Executive when President Krueger left the state 


142 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


to visit England. He’s a great fighter, and com- 
manded the Dutch forces at Majuba Hill.” 

“ Is President Krueger married ? ” 

“ Oh, yes, and keeps house in regular Dutch style. 
You can go by his place almost any time and see 
him out on the piazza smoking his big pipe and 
taking solid comfort in doing it. His wife started 
to entertain once, but soon gave it up. Some folks 
laugh at the Kruegers for living as they do, but I 
think a man has a right to live as he pleases, and 
so long as he does his duty as President he ought 
to be left alone.” 

“ Yes, that is right — as far as it goes, Will. But 
it wouldn’t do in America. There everybody 
hustles, as the saying is.” 

“ Oh, it wouldn’t hurt these Dutchmen to hustle, 
I can tell you that, Dave. But you can't make 
them get off their gait any more than you can hurry 
a team of oxen. They are content to plod along, 
and do exactly as their great-grandfathers did, and 
if you try to hurry them, or want to make improve- 
ments, ten chances to one they’ll get mad because 
of it, and tell you that if you don’t like the way 
they are doing you can take yourself off,” concluded 
Will, as they left the capital. 


CHAPTER XVI 


SETTLING DOWN ON THE OSTRICH FARM 

As we know, Martin Nelson was not a man to 
settle a matter hastily. He believed in the old 
adage, “ Make up your mind slowly, and when 
it is done act quickly.” Consequently he was 
on and around his brother’s farm and the farm 
adjoining three weeks before he finally decided to 
settle down in that locality and try his fortunes 
in the South African Republic. 

“ I shall not invest all of my money at first,” he 
said. “And as this Hans Guelmann is willing to 
sell out at a very reasonable figure, I do not see 
how I can lose money on the transaction, even if 
I want to pull up stakes myself, later on.” 

Dave found Oom Hans, as everybody called him, 
quite a delightful old Dutchman with whom to 
do business. Guelmann felt much relieved to 
get such a quick customer, especially since he 
had just received a letter from Holland urging 
him to come on at the earliest possible moment. 

143 , 


144 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


He came down to almost the figure Ralph Nelson 
advised his brother to offer, and for twenty pounds 
extra agreed to leave all of his household furni- 
ture and many other odds and ends behind, so 
that Martin Nelson and his son might go to farm- 
ing without buying a single thing new. The 
“ dicker ” was made in a mixture of bad English 
and equally bad Dutch, and caused more than one 
laugh on both sides. 

As he had made up his mind slowly, now, when 
the die was cast, Martin Nelson acted with equal 
promptness. On the day that Hans Guelmann left 
the farm, the Nelsons took possession with all of 
their luggage, and before nightfall Dave and his 
parent had settled themselves in their new home. 
The house was rather small, consisting of a sit- 
ting room, dining hall, and kitchen below, and 
two sleeping rooms above, but it was large enough 
for them, and that was enough. Attached to the 
house was a hut where lived a tall Kafir called 
Roko and his two daughters, Satoma and Grazel. 
The Kafir was the head herdsman, and his two 
daughters did the housework and attended to the 
dairy, a small stone structure built directly over 
the stream which ran across the farm. Besides 


SETTLING DOWN ON THE OSTRICH FARM 145 

these Kafirs, there were two Hottentot boys who 
also did herding. Their native names were so 
unpronounceable that Dave promptly nicknamed 
them Guffy and Pepper, after the two hands on 
the ranch, and these nicknames stuck to them as 
long as they remained in the Nelsons’ employ. 

Of cattle there were forty odd heads, all in first- 
class condition, as Martin Nelson could easily see. 
The sheep numbered twenty-six, the ostriches sixty- 
six, and there were also a flock of chickens and 
another of ducks. Most of the farm was in pas- 
ture land, but Oom Hans had raised a fair supply 
of corn and vegetables. 

“We’ll increase that garden patch at the next 
planting,” said Mr. Nelson. “1 believe we can 
easily grow everything that we wish, if we take 
the trouble to do a little watering during the 
extra dry spells.” 

The stable supported four good horses, “salted 
beasts,” as Hans Guelmann had been particular to 
impress upon Martin Nelson’s mind. By “salted” 
is meant that the animal has had either the din 
ziekte or the dik-kop ziekte, — meaning the “ thin 
sickness” or the “thick head sickness,” two forms 
of disease frequent among South African stock, — • 


146 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


and will not, therefore, have the sickness again. 
The “thick head sickness” is the more deadly of 
the two, and the horse that recovers from it is 
considered tough indeed. 

One of the animals, although it was larger and 
not so fast, put Dave very much in mind of his 
old favorite on the ranch, and was accordingly 
renamed Lightning. Even if a bit slow, he proved 
very intelligent, and the boy soon became greatly 
attached to him. 

It was easy enough to learn what little there 
was that was new about tending the cattle and 
sheep, and Mr. Nelson and Dave often gave the 
herdsmen “ a pointer or two ” concerning how 
those things were done in the States. At first 
the Kafir, Roko, was inclined to sneer at the Uit- 
lander, but when some of the cattle got sick and 
Mr.* Nelson and Dave doctored them with much 
skill, his respect for his new employers vastly in- 
creased. Then Dave one day brought out his 
gun, and, aiming at a vulture which showed itself 
over one of the fields, fired, and brought the bird 
down instantly, and from that day Roko became 
his fast friend. 

“ America boy big eye,” he said, in broken Eng- 


SETTLING DOWN ON THE OSTRICH FARM 147 


lish. “Got good roor meaning that Dave had 
a good gun. Roko was a fair shot himself, al- 
though for many years he had handled nothing 
more deadly than an assegai (long knife) and a 
knob-kerrie (war club). But he was an expert 
with a sjambok, and standing off fifteen feet could 
snap the lash and cut a fly from an ox’s back in a 
twinkle. 

It must be confessed that Dave approached the 
ostriches with great care and a good deal of respect. 
“ I’m not going to run any more risks,” he told 
Roko, after relating the particulars of what had 
happened at the Brunker farm. “ If we’ve got 
any such warlike cocks as that Boxer, I want to 
know it.” 

“ All ostrich tame here,” answered Roko, al- 
though so brokenly that Dave understood with 
difficulty. “ Summer go by ostrich bite ” — he 
pointed to his foot. “ Roko throw dis way, sit on 
um and twist neck so, he go dead. No more trouble 
after dat.” 

“Not with that ostrich,” laughed Dave. “But 
a fellow might not be so fortunate as to twist a neck 
just when he wanted to.” 

“ Ostrich know um friend. You friend, no show 


148 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


you afraid, ostrich be good. You no friend, you 
shiver, so, ostrich fly at you.” 

“I’ll remember that, Roko, and in the future I’ll 
put on a bold front,” replied Dave, and he did, and 
after that had little or no trouble with the birds, 
although they would sometimes come up to peck 
at his straw hat or tear his outside pockets in a 
hunt for corn. When an ostrich gets to know you 
he can become terribly familiar at times. Dave 
often laughed at them, as he watched them strut 
about, their heavy bodies covered with those beau- 
tiful black feathers we know so well, and their 
thin bare legs sticking out underneath like a pair 
of stilts. 

From his cousin Dave learned a great many 
things of interest concerning the ostriches. “ They 
are a tough bird when they get old,” said Will, 
“but they are not so easy to raise from the egg 
as you may think. Like chickens, they suffer from 
a|hl and wet, and if they are near a stream they are 
liaBfe to tumble in and get drowned. Then again, 
they ^at anything that comes to view — berries, 
melons, seeds, insects, lizards, and even small 
snakes, as well as shiny stones, bits of glass, and 
a hundred and one other things. The big ostriches 


SETTLING DOWN ON THE OSTRICH FARM 149 


can stand this, but the little ones can’t, and some- 
times a young one will tumble over simply because 
he has filled himself to bursting with what he can’t 
digest.” 

44 And what kind of eating do they make ? ” 
asked Dave, who was bound to learn all he could 
about the birds he had started to raise. 

44 The meat is rather coarse and so are the eggs. 
I would never think of raising them for those 
things. The feathers are what count, as you will 
find when you go at your first picking. I think 
you can pick your flock about every ten months.” 

44 That will be something more to learn. I must 
confess I don’t relish the task of pulling feathers 
from a live bird.” 

44 The best thing to do is to cut the feathers off. 
The stumps of the quills soon dry up and fall out 
of themselves, and this process doesn’t hurt the bird 
in the least.” 

44 They can travel so fast, it’s a wonder they don’t 
go away for good when they get out.” 

44 Yes, I’ve heard it said they can travel at the 
rate of twenty miles an hour. But they soon get 
to know their home and rarely go over ten or fif- 
teen miles away from it, unless they get badly 


150 BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 

frightened. Of course I am talking about the 
tame ostriches. When we get to hunting the wild 
ones I rather think we will have lots of sport.” 

The long, low outbuildings also pleased Dave. 
They were built in true Dutch fashion, with 
main timbers eight to twelve inches square, and 
the boy often wondered how the builders had ever 
got such a massive frame into position. “ They 
must have had a regular old-fashioned house rais- 
ing,” he thought, and in this he was right. The 
buildings were so solid that nothing in the way of 
storms affected them. 

In the wagon shed adjoining the horse stable 
was an ox cart and a “ spider,” and a tremendously 
heavy turnout, which had been used by Hans Guel- 
mann’s father in the great trek from Natal to the 
Transvaal in 1886. The latter was fourteen feet 
long and six feet broad, and sat on axles which 
were over eight feet long and three feet from the 
ground. Over the top of the wagon was a bent 
pole frame covered with coarse canvas, and inside 
were several lockers which could be used for the 
storage of clothing and as couches. To this big 
wagon belonged a heavy dusselboom (pole), and a 
trek-chain all of a hundred feet long, having yokes 


SETTLING DOWN ON THE OSTRICH FARM 151 


attached to it at intervals of nine feet, the yokes 
being of heavy timber, caught up with reims of raw- 
hide. Dave once tried to lift this ponderous trek- 
chain by fastening one end to the wagon and 
pulling upon the other, but found his strength 
unequal to the task. The turnout was meant to 
be hauled along by fourteen to eighteen oxen. 

44 What a parade they must have made, coming 
across the veldt ! ” mused the youth. 44 Exactly 
like the old pioneers in the Western states. I don’t 
believe father and I will ever use that wagon, unless 
we utilize it for what it was meant to be, — a house 
on wheels.” 

Perhaps a boy used to city life would have found 
work on the ostrich farm hard, but to Dave it was 
little more than play, for he soon learned that no 
one on an African farm worked half as hard as he 
and his father were accustomed to labor on the 
ranch in Texas. The blacks could not be made 
to work more than they had been accustomed to, 
and their Dutch neighbors laughed at them for 
their extra efforts. 44 You die quick you work 
fast,” said Adolf Brucher, their nearest Dutch 
neighbor, one day to Dave. 44 Take your time, 
rest, and drink plenty coffee, and you live so long 


152 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


as your gran’fadda.” The Boer idea of rest is 
almost always associated with that of coffee drink- 
ing, and in every Dutch home the coffee pot is on 
the fire continually. 

Dave often found himself at Oom Adolf’s house, 
for he wished to become acquainted with the Boers 
among whom he had settled, and wished to pick up 
more of their language ; for he speedily found that 
there is a vast difference between Dutch and Ger- 
man, especially what is commonly called High Ger- 
man. He was always welcome, and not only the 
farmer, but also his wife, Tante Johanna, and his 
two sons, Karl and Conrad, did all in their simple 
Boerish way to entertain him. Karl and Conrad 
were but little older than Dave, but they were tall, 
strapping fellows, and as muscular as the oxen they 
were in the habit of driving. Both had worked 
for a time around the mines at Johannesburg, and 
had there picked up a smattering of English which 
they tried to ventilate upon every possible occasion. 
It was easy to see that the whole family did not 
care particularly for the English people, however, 
and they liked Martin Nelson and Dave a good 
deal better than they did Will and his family. 


CHAPTER XVII 


THE BEGINNING OF A GRAND HUNT 

“ Hurrah for the hunt, Dave ! Father says he 
will be home for a month or more, and I can go 
where I please. Won’t we have just the most 
glorious time ever was ! ” 

“ I hope so, Will,” answered Dave, with a broad 
smile overspreading his bronzed face. “ I’ve looked 
forward to this hunt, expecting lots of fun. I hope 
we are not disappointed.” 

“ Oh, we won’t be — I am sure of that. I was 
speaking to a Dutch hunter day before yesterday, 
and he says there is lots of game on the Crocodile 
this season. Can you start to-morrow ? ” 

“ I can start any time, father says. He says I 
have worked like a trooper and deserve a little 
recreation.” 

“Yes, both of you are steam engines, — and you 
have put this farm into elegant shape, I must say. 
You’ve got over two hundred ostriches now, haven’t 
you ? ” 


153 


154 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“Two hundred and twenty-two, Will, and at 
least twenty more hatching.” 

“You’ve taken to the business like a duck takes 
to water. And that vegetable garden is prime — 
nothing better anywhere around Pretoria. I de- 
clare, you’ll soon be giving these old Hollanders 
a pointer or two on raising peas and beans and 
lettuce and the like,” went on Will, as he leaned 
on the stone fence and gazed at the well-kept 
garden patch, with its straight rows of growing 
things and its entire absence of weeds. “ What 
a lot of work it must be to keep this cleaned up ! ” 

“I don’t let the work grow over my head. 
Every time it rains I pull the weeds, so they don’t 
get a chance to grow. But then I always did 
love a garden.” And Dave stooped over to lift 
up several plants which had been beaten down 
by the last storm. 

Nearly a year had passed since Martin Nelson 
and his son had landed in South Africa, and the 
months which had gone by had been busy in the 
extreme. Both father and son had taken hold with 
a will, and had drilled themselves thoroughly into 
the new order of things. The result was little 
short of a revelation to the Boers around them, 


THE BEGINNING OF A GRAND HUNT 155 

who had been largely of the opinion that the 
Americans would do even worse than the despised 
English. “ What do they know of Transvaal 
farming and of ostrich raising,” they had told one 
another. “ They will spend what money they have 
and then fall back on us for support.” But there 
had been no falling back ; on the contrary, Martin 
Nelson had assisted several needy Boers, and now 
had one of them working for him at the regular 
wages paid for such labor. 

* Matters over at Ralph Nelson’s place were also 
flourishing, for with Dave’s coming a mild sort of 
rivalry had sprung up between the two boys as to 
which should make the best showing, and Will 
had worked early and late that their place might 
not exhibit any neglect. In the meantime Ralph 
Nelson’s mining venture was turning out very well 
and looked as if it would soon be worth a small 
fortune to him. Martin Nelson had purchased a 
share in the new mine and had also invested in 
some shares of an old established company located* 
some distance outside of Johannesburg. 

It was decided that the two boys should go on 
horseback, accompanied by Roko, who had been 
through the hunting territory along the Crocodile 


156 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


and nearby rivers many times before. All of the 
horses to be taken were thoroughly salted, so there 
would be no fear of trouble through the obnoxious 
tsetse-fly. Roko was to carry the limited camp- 
ing outfit which was to be taken along, and also 
some biltong — deer meat salted and dried — and 
some Dutch rusk, which keeps fresh much longer 
than ordinary bread. For the rest, the party was 
to depend upon its guns for supplies. The guns 
consisted of two smooth bore rifles and a double- 
barrelled shotgun, as well as a pistol for each. 
They also carried hunting knives and other neces- 
sary paraphernalia. 

The start was made from the Martin Nelson 
home, and Ralph Nelson and his wife and little 
Alice came over to see the boys off. 44 Be sure 
and keep out of danger, Will,” were Mrs. Nelson’s 
last words ; “ I would not have anything happen 
to you for all the game in the world.” 

44 Don’t fear but what I’ll take good care of 
myself, mother,” answered the son ; and so the 
two boys parted from their parents, little dream- 
ing of all the strange adventures which were to 
befall ere the members of the families should come 
together again. 


THE BEGINNING OF A GRAND HUNT 157 


“ It seems strange to think that only a few years 
ago this wide veldt was covered with elands, gems- 
boks, springboks, wildebeestes, and other kindred 
animals,” remarked Will as they rode along. 
“They tell me that as late as the year 1870 herds 
of deer to the number of several hundred could be 
found here. But the Dutch formed large hunting 
parties and slaughtered them just for the value of 
the skins, leaving the vultures the meat.” 

“ I guess you’ll travel a good many miles before 
you see a herd of several hundred wild animals 
now,” returned Dave. “It must be a grand sight 
to see a drove of elephants.” 

“ Not if they are coming toward you. I 
wouldn’t mind seeing them if they were passing 
in another direction.” 

For two days they journeyed without anything 
out of the ordinary happening. At noon of the 
third day they came to a halt beside a small pool 
of bluish water, fringed with rushes and small 
brush. As they had approached this, a flock of 
quail arose, and Will, who was carrying the shot- 
gun, gave the birds both barrels, bringing down 
three and wounding several others. Roko promptly 
made off after the wounded birds and brought them 


158 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


to a standstill by hitting them with a long stick he 
carried. In throwing this stick he was as unerring 
in his aim as he was in cracking his sjambok. 

The pool afforded drink for both man and beast 
and also for cooking purposes, and while the boys 
built a tiny fire of grass and twigs, Roko prepared 
the birds for broiling. Thus served, the quail were 
delicious, and the three ate all there were of them. 

“We can’t complain about feed,” laughed Dave. 
“We’ve had quail on toast almost the first thing. 
Who would want anything better ? ” 

“Certainly I shan’t complain if we do as well 
right straight along,” answered his cousin. u But 
come on. We want to get as close to the hunting 
country as we can before night ; ” and soon they 
were in the saddle again, and passing down a 
broad valley leading to one of the tributaries of 
the Crocodile River. 

The day was becoming extra warm, and Roko 
conjectured that they would have a storm inside 
of the next forty-eight hours. “ Big storm too,” 
he added. “ Much water.” 

“When it comes we had better seek some sort 
of shelter,” said Dave. “ I have no fancy for get- 
ting wet to the skin.” 


THE BEGINNING OF A GRAND HUNT 159 


Daylight was fading when they reached a small 
creek running into the Limpopo, or Crocodile. 
Here there was a long, narrow' stretch of wood. 
As they came up to the trees Roko suddenly 
called upon them to halt, and pointed to their 
left with his finger. 

“ A wild animal of some kind ! ” cried Will, in 
a whisper. “What is it, Roko?” 

“ A gemsbok,” answered the Kafir. “ Be quick, 
or he will go ! ” 

As Roko finished, the gemsbok suddenly raised its 
nose in the air, its long and almost straight horns 
resting along its back. One sniff was enough, and 
off it bounded, taking leaps two and three yards in 
length. 

Bang! bang! both boys fired at the same time, but 
whether or not their shots had taken effect neither 
could tell. Soon the gemsbok was out on the broad 
veldt, where the gathering darkness hid it from view. 

“ My gracious, he skipped like greased lightning! ” 
cried Dave. “I never saw such swiftness.” 

“ He is swift, but his swiftness is nothing to that 
of the springbok,” answered Will. “ Unless you 
can get at a springbok head on you might as well 
try a shot at a streak of electricity.” 





160 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“ Then there is no use in trying to follow that 
gemsbok ? ” 

“No, no ! ” put in Roko, shaking his woolly head. 
“He go miles and miles and no stop. We go 
down to river and see if we do better.” 

“ I fancy this expedition will put me on my 
mettle,” observed Dave. “ I’m a little out of 
practice, and I’ll try to brace up. It’s a pity we 
had to let such a fine beast slip us. If we — ” 
he stopped short as a wild, unearthly shriek arose 
on the air. “ What’s that ? ” 

“ Him big baboon, dat’s all,” answered Roko, with 
a broad smile. “ Him fight udder baboon all de 
time, but man people, him no fight dem.” 

They entered the woods, and soon came close to 
the baboons, for there were several of them. But 
these specimens of the monkey tribe were shy, and 
scurried off in great haste at their approach, chat- 
tering at a great rate as they went. They also stirred 
up a number of birds and took several random shots, 
bringing down two bitterns and a partridge. 

“ This is better than nothing,” said Will, as he 
picked the birds up. “ We have enough here for 
several meals, and they will be a welcome addition 
to our larder.” 


THE BEGINNING OF A GRAND HUNT 161 

The bitterns had been shot close to the water, 
and now Roko went in wading among the reeds and 
water-grass. “Nest near here,” he announced, and 
soon came upon a bittern’s nest, perched in the grass 
just above the surface of the water. It contained 
three eggs of a light brown color. 

“We can make an omelet of those, provided 
they are fresh,” said Will. “ What will be the 
best spot for a camp, Roko ? ” 

“ Up stream good place,” answered the Kafir, 
and* birds in hand, they walked to the spot on 
foot, their horses following them. Presently they 
reached a small opening, where the grass was thick 
and of good quality. The horses were tethered, 
and they set about putting up the little tent they 
had brought along. As brush poles were to be had 
in plenty this was easy, and while the boys erected 
the tent the Kafir prepared the partridge and the 
eggs for supper, mixing the omelet with some rusk 
crumbs to make it go around. A roaring fire made 
the lads feel quite at home, even though they were 
a good many miles from the nearest human habita- 
tion. 

“ 1 suppose it will take us two or three days to 
get thoroughly broken in to this sort of life,” re- 


al 


162 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


marked Dave, as they sat around after the evening 
meal. “ But it looks as though we were in for lots 
of sport, doesn’t it ? ” 

“ If only we hadn’t missed that gemsbok,” grum- 
bled Will. He hated to lose anything in the way 
of big game. 

As they wished to make an early start along 
the river in the morning, they retired before nine 
o’clock, the Kafir beside the fire and the two boys 
within the shelter. The sky was overcast, but 
there was as yet neither wind nor rain. The boys 
rested on a pile of small boughs, which, while not 
as soft as their beds at home, were still better than 
the bare ground, and were soon fast asleep. 

It was nearly midnight when Will awoke with a 
start. He could not tell what had aroused him, but 
instinctively he felt for the shotgun, which had 
been placed within easy reach. He listened, but 
only the sound of the rising wind greeted his ears. 

“ Did I hear a growl, or was I dreaming ? ” he 
asked himself, and crept toward the entrance to 
the shelter. The fire had gone down in a smoul- 
dering heap, and Roko lay flat on his back, snoring 
heavily. “ Perhaps that Kafir’s wood-sawing woke 
me,” went on the boy mentally. 


THE BEGINNING OF A GRAND HUNT 163 


Then of a sudden his heart leaped into his throat. 
He had allowed his eyes to wander to the left of 
the clearing, and something in the brush had caught 
his attention. A dark object was moving there, an 
object crouched close to the ground. 


CHAPTER XVIII 


CAUGHT IN A TROPICAL STORM 

For the instant Will did not know what to do. 
The approaching object was so hidden by the 
shadows of the brush that he could form no idea 
what it was, saving that it looked like an immense 
cat. He saw two gleaming eyes, but they were 
neither fastened upon himself nor upon the sleep- 
ing Kafir. 

“No shotgun will kill that beast,” thought the \ 
boy, and stepped back to get his rifle. At first he 
thought to call to Roko. But this would have j 
scared the animal away, and he wished, if possible, 
to bag the game, to make up for the gemsbok 
that had been lost. 

As he felt for the rifle his arm touched Dave, 
who aroused instantly. “Who — what’s up, Will?” ] 
came in a slightly bewildered tone. 

“ Something is outside — an animal of some sort 
— watching the camp,” was the low reply. “ Get 
your rifle and keep as quiet as you can.” 

164 


CAUGHT IN A TROPICAL STORM 


165 


“ An animal ? What is it, a lion ? ” 

“No, nothing as big as that. I’ve something of 
an idea that it is a leopard, although I’m not sure. 
Be quick or we will lose him.” 

Armed with their rifles, both boys crept to the 
entrance of the tent, and Will pointed out the 
spot where the object had been. But it was gone 
now, nor was it in sight along the whole edge of 
brush surrounding the camp. 

“ Slunk off — ” began Dave, when one of the 
horses gave a wild snort. The next moment the 
animal came into full view, sneaking toward 
the tree upon which Roko had hung the two dead 
bitterns. It was a beautifully spotted male leopard, 
of full size and long, sweeping tail. He came on 
as stealthily as a cat, to the same general family of 
which these beasts belong. He had followed the 
bloody trail of one of the bitterns to the spot, and 
now wanted to make off with the game. 

“Steady now,” whispered Will. “Let us both 
fire at the same time. Are you ready?” 

There was a brief pause. 

“ Yes.” 

“ All right. Fire ! ” 

The two rifles spoke up as one, and following 


166 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


the two flashes of fire in the semi-darkness the 
leopard was seen to leap into the air and fall back. 
But the beast was not killed, and with a blood- 
curdling snarl he switched around in the grass and 
then leaped toward the boys. 

The reports of the firearms, and the snorting of 
the horses, who were now frantic, brought Roko 
to his feet at a bound. “ What’s coming ? ” he 
roared, in his native tongue. “ A leopard ! Shoot 
him ! Shoot ! or he will tear you to pieces ! ” 

“ The shotgun ! ” gasped Dave, and dove into 
the tent for the weapon. At the same time both 
Will and the Kafir leaped over the smouldering 
fire, the latter catching 'up an ember and waving 
it into a flame. Seeing this, Will did the same, 
remembering that fire is one of the best protections 
against wild beasts known. 

The leopard had been hit both in the fore and 
hind quarters, and so he came on with difficulty, 
snarling and showing his teeth in such a fashion 
that all three of the horses speedily broke their 
tethers and galloped out of danger with all possible 
speed. Had the beast not been hit at all he would 
doubtless have slunk away, but now he was blind 
with rage, and ready to wage battle with* anything 
or anybody, regardless of consequences. 


CAUGHT IN A TROPICAL STORM 


167 


The fire, however, he did not fancy, and so 
turned to the tent into which Dave had just dis- 
appeared for the shotgun. 

“ Hiyo /” screamed Roko, and flung his burning 
brand full at the beast. It landed on the leopard’s 
neck, causing an added scream of fury. To get 
rid of the fire the beast was compelled to retreat 
a few steps, and here he paused as if calculating 
what move he had best make next. 

That pause, slight as it was, was fatal to the 
leopard’s welfare, for, swinging around in the 
entrance to the tent, Dave let drive, first with 
one barrel and then with the other of the shotgun. 
Each charge struck the beast full in the face, 
literally peppering his features with shot. 

Yet even then he was not dead, but continued 
to squirm around the ground, emitting snarls and 
screams which rang in the boys’ ears for many days 
afterward. Will was about to put a final bullet 
into his body when Roko interfered and broke the 
beast’s skull with a club. 

It was several minutes before any of the party 
breathed easier. “ Is he dead, or only shamming ? ” 
asked Dave, breaking a sudden silence which had 
fallen. 


168 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


The Kafir turned the body over with his knob- 
kerrie. “ Him dead as stone wood,” he said, mean- 
ing as dead as a tree that has become petrified. 
Without further ado he knelt down and began to 
skin the animal, showing the boys just where the 
first two shots had struck. The skin was in good 
condition, but saving the riddled head was out 
of the question, even had the lads wished to do 
so. 

“ The horses have run away,” said Will. “ I 
wonder if they will know enough to come back ? 
It’s a pity we didn’t hobble them as the Boers do.” 
He referred to a universal custom among the South 
African Dutch whereby, when a horse is grazing, 
one of his fore feet is strapped up in such a fashion 
that he has to do his standing on three legs only. 
Thus hobbled, my readers can readily understand 
that a grazing horse will not wander off very 
far. 

m 

“ Well, we didn’t hobble them, and we’ve got to 
make the best of it,” answered Dave. “ I think 
Lightning will come back, after he feels sure that 
the leopard is out of the way.” 

Having skinned the beast, the Kafir cut off some 
of the choicest portions to keep for camp use, and 


CAUGHT IN A TROPICAL STORM 


169 


then dragged the carcass down to the river and 
shoved it in. “Fine meal for um crocodile,” he 
observed when he came back. 

“ Are there any crocodiles around here ? ” asked 
Dave. “I understood they were all cleaned out.” 

“ Once in a while one turns up,” answered his 
cousin. “ Last year a Boer was crossing the river 
when his oxen got stuck in mid-stream. He jumped 
into the water to help them out, when all at once 
some of the other Boers who were around heard him 
give one yell, and that was the last of the poor chap. 
A crocodile had carried him off.” 

“ Excuse me from crossing the stream then, unless 
it’s in a boat or by way of a bridge.” 

“ The natives have a funny way of crossing. 
They take a sharp stick and hold that in front of 
them, so that if a crocodile should swim up to nab 
them they can thrust the stick in his mouth and let 
him run it through his upper and lower jaw. Roko 
can tell you something about that.” 

“ Him so,” answered the Kafir, nodding his head. 
“ Roko do um once, but get caught little,” and he 
showed the back of his hand, which was badly 
scarred. “No like crocodile — good fo’ nothing. 
Eat babies up in Kafir kraal.” 'Meaning that the 


170 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


crocodiles had often eaten up small children belong- 
ing to his native village. 

It was decided that Roko should go after the 
horses without delay, while the boys remained in 
camp to secure the tent and make themselves other- 
wise comfortable against the storm, which was now 
approaching. As the Kafir disappeared they set 
about reloading their weapons and replenished the 
fire, having no desire to spend the remainder of that 
in darkness. \ 

“ That leopard may have a mate around,” argued 
Will. “ And if that is so, we don’t w~ant to be 
caught off our guard.” 

But the tent soon demanded their attention, and 
everything else was forgotten in the effort to pin it 
down so that it would retain its upright position. 
From a steady wind it began to blow a regular gale, 
while the first drops of the tropical storm came 
down as large as two shilling pieces. The fire, too, 
began to blow in all directions, and when some of the 
embers got inside of the canvas the lads were sorry 
that they had not let the blaze die out utterly. 

“This is going to be a hummer! ” cried Will, as 
he beat out the sparks. “ It’s good it’s raining, or 
we might have set the whole forest on fire.” 


CAUGHT IN A TROPICAL STORM 


171 


“ I think the best we can do is to wrap this canvas 
right around us,” said Dave, as a puff of wind took 
the sheet up and then let it fall minus its ridge pole. 
“ Jee-rusalem ! just listen to that whistling through 
the tops of the trees ! ” 

There was no need to listen, for the sound was 
loud enough for anybody to hear. It was a strange 
noise, like the letting off of a low pressure of steam, 
and beneath that force of wind the trees swayed and 
groaned, while here and there a bough came down 
with a crack like the report of a pistol. Truly a 
tropical storm was on them in all of its fury. 

“ If we are not blown away, we’ll be drowned ! ” 
gasped Dave, as the rain began to fall in a sheet. 
Then came a flash of lightning and a crash of 
thunder which startled them more than ever. “ I 
can tell you this is going to be no picnic.” 

With the tent down they could do little but hud- 
dle under the canvas as Dave had suggested. But 
the wind drove the rain in all directions, and soon 
they were wet to the skin, in spite of the covering. 
The deluge put the fire out in short order, leaving 
them in total darkness excepting when the lightning 
lit up the scene. 

“We are in a hollow, and the water is forming a 


172 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


pool under us,” announced Will, when the rain had 
been coming down for the best part of half an hour. 
“I move we try to locate on higher ground.” 

“I am willing,” returned Dave. “But we have 
got to take all our traps with us, or they’ll be 
washed into the river before morning.” 

To move was no light task, and even though they 
loaded themselves down, they had to make three 
trips before everything they had brought along 
was transferred to the new camp. Then the wind 
seemed to let up a bit, but the rain came down as 
hard as ever, while the thunder and lightning was 
almost incessant. 

“ I don’t believe Roko will find the horses in this 
storm,” said Will. “The thunder will scare them 
half to death, and I know Toby will run until he 
is ready to drop.” 

“ Perhaps they will go home,” answered Dave, 
dubiously. “ If they do, we’ll have the pleasure of 
following on foot. But who ever dreamed that we 
would strike such a downpour as this ? It’s the 
worse storm I’ve seen since I came to Africa.” 

“We had a storm like this two years ago. It 
rained for nearly a week, too, and some of the mines 
got flooded with water, and the farmers lost a lot of 


CAUGHT IN A TROPICAL STORM 


173 


live stock. The veldt was covered in some places 
for miles, and — ” 

Will did not finish, for at that moment a blinding* 
flash of lightning seemed to come down directly in 
front of them. The ear-splitting crash of thunder 
which came with it was followed by another crash 
equally alarming. An immense tree near which 
they had stationed themselves had been struck and 
was now coming down on top of them! 


CHAPTER XIX 


WILL AND THE WATER-BUCKS 


“ Jump ! Jump for your life ! ” 

It was Will who uttered the cry. He understood 
the meaning of that crashing of timber only too well. 
The tree was an immense oak of the South African 
variety, standing high in the air, and so thick at the 
base that both boys combined could not have encir- 
cled it. The English boy knew that if this came 
down upon them they would be crushed to a 
veritable jelly. 

The sound of the boy’s voice was drowned out by 
the fury of the storm. But it was not necessary 
that he be understood, for Dave had heard the crash 
also and now leaped forward, dragging the canvas 
and Will with him. Then both tripped over and 
rolled in a heap. As they were rising, the upper 
half of the tree came down beside them. A branch 
struck the canvas and they were pinned down as 
by the arm of some giant of old. 

Will was the first to speak. He had been caught 



174 





WILL AND THE WATER-BUCKS 


175 


across the back, and though he squirmed with hands 
and feet he found it impossible, for the time being, 
to move his body. 

“ Dave, are you hurt ? ” he asked. 

There was no answer to this question, and Will’s 
heart leaped into his throat. Was it possible that 
his cousin had been struck dead? Fervidly he 
prayed to heaven that this calamity might be spared 
him. If Dave was dead, how could he ever go back 
to tell his cousin’s father ? 

“ Dave ! Dave ! ” he went on. “ Speak to me ! 
Tell me you are not dead ! That you are not seri- 
ously hurt ! ” 

He listened attentively, and presently a stifled 
gasp came to his ears, telling him that his cousin 
still breathed. The canvas was yet on top of both, 
and now held down so firmly by branches and leaves 
that even the lightning was excluded to a great 
extent. “We’ll be smothered as sure as fate!” 
gasped the boy, and renewed his struggles so des- 
perately that at last he found himself free, although 
minus the bottom fringe of his jacket, which was 
torn off completely. 

As soon as he could stand erect, Will began haul- 
ing on the canvas. One corner could not be got 


176 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


loose, and this he freed with his knife, determined 
that Dave should have air, if nothing more. The 
rain still came down in torrents, but this the youth 
no longer noticed. 

A cry of horror burst from Will’s lips when the 
next flash of lightning revealed the whole situation. 
A forked tree branch had caught Dave across the 
back and across the neck, holding him down as if 
in a vice, and cutting off his breath. He w T as 
already growing black in the face, and Will could 
see that complete strangulation was but a question 
of a few seconds more. 

With frantic haste he pulled at the branch, only 
to And himself unable to do more than bend back 
the outer end, which lay several yards away from 
Dave. “ I must get a lever of some sort,” he 
thought, and his eyes fell upon his rifle. Shoving 
this under the branch, he exerted all of his strength, 
and thus managed to raise it several inches. But 
while holding the rifle, he could do nothing toward 
removing his cousin, and he stood still in perplex- 
ity, straining as he had never strained before, to 
hold the branch back. 

“ Oh ! ” The moan came from Dave, and by a 
lightning flash Will saw his cousin raise one arm in 
a dazed manner. 



u With frantic haste he pulled at the branch.” 


Page 176 







WILL AND THE WATER-BUCKS 


177 


“ Pull j^ourself out, Dave ! ” he cried. “ Pull 
yourself out ! ” 

“ Oh ! ” came another groan. But Dave under- 
stood, and now crawled forward a short distance. 
As soon as he was clear of the branch, Will let the 
rifle drop and leaped to his cousin’s side. 

“ I hope you are not seriously hurt,” he ventured, 
his face full of the keen anxiety which filled his 
heart. “ That limb had you right over the throat. 
If I hadn’t raised it — Oh, dear, he’s fainted ! ” 

Will was right, the fight for life, brief as it was, 
had been too much for Dave, and now when it was 
all over his nerves had collapsed, and he lay like a 
limp rag across Will’s lap, the rain beating down 
upon both as steadily as ever, and the lightning and 
thunder coming and going as before. 

And so the night passed, — a night which W ill 
declares to this day he will never forget, so filled 
was it with horror, discomfort, and uncertainty. 
The boy could do little but haul the remains of the 
tent over himself and his cousin, and then count the 
minutes which must elapse before daylight would be 
at hand. 

Just before it was time for the sun to come up, 
Dave spoke. “ Who — what has happened ? ” he 


N 


178 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


said, with a gasp. “I — I thought I was being 
choked to death.” 

“ You came pretty close to it, Dave,” answered 
Will, delighted to see that his cousin had come out 
of the faint. “ A tree limb pinned us both down, 
but you were the worse off by far. How is it, any 
bones broken, do you think ? ” 

“I — I don’t know — yet. My neck is dreadfully 
stiff, and my back feels as if somebody had been 
kicking me.” 

After considerable trouble Dave managed to sit 
up, and a little while later said he felt sure no bones 
were broken. But his back was sadly scratched, 
and both boys were glad that they had brought 
along a bottle of ointment for just such a possible 
emergency. 

It was not until noon that *the storm ceased and 
the sun began to struggle through the drifting 
clouds. As bad as the rain had been, it soon soaked 
away or ran into the streams, leaving the veldt 
grass as dry as before. While Dave rested, Will 
gathered together their scattered stores, hung the 
canvas and some of their outer clothing on the tree 
branches to dry, and built an immense fire close 
by. Then he went back to the old camp to get 


WILL AND THE WATER-BUCKS 


179 


the two bitterns, but found that they had disap- 
peared. 

“ That leopard didn’t get them, but some other 
animal did,” he observed grimly. “ I wonder if I 
can’t bring down something with the shotgun — I 
hate biltong so. You had better have a cup of hot 
coffee while I am gone,” and he strode away in the 
direction of the river bank. 

For a while Will could see nothing of any game 
excepting some small birds not worth the shooting. 
But in thrashing along the river bank he stirred up 
a covey of koran, a bird peculiar to this territory, 
and, blazing away with both barrels, brought down 
six of the birds — certainly quite a respectable lot, 
when one considers the swiftness with which this 
member of the feathered tribe flies. Then he came 
across another bittern, and added that to his stock 
of provender. 

“ The river is running like a mill race,” he an- 
nounced when he came back to camp. “ There will 
be no fording the stream for a good forty-eight 
hours, I’ll wager. I hope Roko didn’t have to go 
over for the horses.” 

“There is no telling where he had to go, nor 
where he went,” answered Dave, who lay on his 


180 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


side sipping hot coffee, as his cousin had advised. 
“ I wish he would show up. I am getting anxious 
about him.” 

“ He. won’t show up until he finds the horses, 
you can rest assured of that. The Kafirs think 
more of horseflesh than anything else. I’ve heard 
tell that years ago they used to turn up at the 
settlements with female slaves from other tribes, 
and try to trade them off for horses. The thing 
of it is, what shall we do: wait here for him, or 
go on hunting?” 

“ I think we had better wait here, or, at least, 
keep our camp here. Of course, we can range 
around to suit ourselves in the meantime. I be- 
lieve we can stir up some game along the river 
bank if we go at it in the right way.” 

So it was agreed to remain where they were, 
and, this settled, Will prepared the first meal of 
the day, a sort of dinner and breakfast combined, 
as he told his cousin. The koran were cleaned, 
and several of them were then encased in clay 
taken from the river bank, and roasted like pota- 
toes. The flavor was peculiar, but to the half- 
starved boys the meal proved a delicious repast. 

As Dave’s back was still lame, he decided to 


WILL AND THE WATER-BUCKS 


181 


remain in camp for the balance of the day, doing 
what he could toward mending the tent and put- 
ting the other things in order. To this task Will 
left him and made again for the river, this time 
taking his rifle as well as the shotgun. 

The fury of the great storm was everywhere in 
evidence, broken trees and brushwood lying scat- 
tered on every hand. Overhead, the birds lamented 
the ruin wrought to their nests in shrill cries, which 
grew louder as he advanced deeper and deeper into 
the forest. In many places the rain had cut deep 
gullies into the soft soil, leaving massive tree roots 
utterly bare. The tropical vines made a tangle 
through which it was impossible, at times, to 
pass. 

Having moved along the river for the best part 
of two miles, Will came to another clearing where 
a small cliff overlooked the Crocodile. With the 
true instinct of a hunter, he did not emerge into 
the opening until he had taken a long look around. 
To his joy he discovered a small herd of water- 
buck, standing directly upon the brow of the cliff, 
gazing with lifted heads behind them. 

Will’s first thought was to let drive with the 
rifle, aiming at the leader, an old buck with im- 


182 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


mense horns, and of so strong a scent that the 
youth could smell him with ease, even though he 
was fifty yards away. But then the boy remem- 
bered that the meat of the water-buck, on account 
of its obnoxious flavor, is totally unfit for food, 
and his hand left the trigger of the weapon, and 
he paused. 

“ If I fire I may scare away something much 
better,” he thought. “ I wouldn’t want to touch 
the beast, even if I did manage to lay him low. 

I wonder what is alarming the old chap?” 

For alarm there was, as Will could readily see. 
Every member of the herd was as motionless as a 
statue, heads up, ears out, and tails on an upward 
curve, their nostrils sniffing the air. Their color 
was brown, with a whitish patch close to the 
tail. 

Suddenly a roar rang out, coming from the foot , 
of the cliff, a roar of rage and pain intermixed. 
At that sound, the water-bucks gave a snort of 
terror, and leaping forward, several of them sprang 
over the cliff into the turbulent stream far below. 

The roar likewise surprised Will, for it told him 
that that monarch of the forest, a lion, was in 
the vicinity. Gripping his rifle closer, he lost no 


WILL AND THE WATER-BUCKS 


183 


time in starting to retreat, having no desire to 
meet the lion single-handed and on foot. 

But the tangle of brush, as we already know, 
was great, and before he had taken a dozen steps* 
the boy fell headlong. As he attempted to rise, 
he heard a rushing of feet behind him, and, look- 
ing over his shoulder, he beheld the leader of the 
water-bucks bearing down upon him at full speed. 


CHAPTER XX 


THE THREE DUTCH SOLDIERS 

Left to himself Dave felt more or less lonely, and 
he was glad to think that there was something with 
which he could occupy his mind during his cousin’s 
absence from camp. 

Having looked to see that his rifle was in proper 
condition, and likewise his pistol, the lad sat down 
to mend his coat. Fortunately several spools of 
thread and a paper of needles had been included in 
their outfit, so he was not hampered for the want of 
these. He had used a needle before, both at the 
ostrich farm and at the ranch, in Texas, and though 
.the job of mending took some time, yet when it was 
finished it would have done credit to somebody far 
more experienced than himself. 

The coat finished, Dave took up the canvas to see 
if some of the numerous tears it had received could 
not be sewn up. As he di‘d so he heard a cry out 
on the veldt, and looking in the direction saw three 
sturdy Dutchmen approaching on horseback. 

184 


THE THREE DUTCH SOLDIERS 


185 


One of the Boers had seen the camp, and it was 
he who announced the fact to his comrades, who 
were riding at a short distance from him. The 
three at once closed in and came forward to see 
whose camp it might be and what the strangers 
might have to say. 

As the Dutchmen came closer he saw that they 
were dressed in the uniform of Transvaal soldiers, 
or, rather, mounted police, as they are called in some 
parts of the South African Republic, and that one 
of them was an officer. All were well armed, and 
one carried over his saddle the carcass of a gemsbok 
but recently shot. 

“ Uitlander,” muttered the leader of the three, he 
who carried the gemsbok, as he came closer ; “ daats 
geen Boeren next ” (that’s not a Boer). 

He was a burly man of forty or more years, with 
thick black hair and heavy l)eard. His face was 
stern but not ugly, and his companions were very 
similar to him. All nodded pleasantly as they came 
up and brought their beasts to a halt. 

“Englees boy, hey?” queried the leader, in very 
bad English. “ All alone here ? ” 

“I am just now,” answered Dave; “I have an- 
other young fellow and a Kafir with me.” 


186 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“On the hunt?” 

“ Yes ; we came up from Pretoria some days 
ago. We got caught in that storm, and I hurt my 
back under that tree. That storm was very bad.” 

“You got right,” replied the Boer soldier; “we 
slaap in en huis ,” he added, meaning that he and his 
companions had slept in a house that night. 

“ Kan maar saal aff heir ? ” questioned one of the 
other soldiers, asking if he could unsaddle, for his 
animal was suffering from a sore back. “ Da tsetse 
flagen het aam baaten ,” he continued, in a mixture 
of Dutch and Low German, saying that the tsetse- 
flies had bitten him — meaning, of course, his steed. 

“ Yes, you can unsaddle if you wish,” answered 
Dave. “ Our horses ran away and the Kafir is after 
them. But that wouldn’t matter, anyway, as they 
are thoroughly salted. That’s a fine gemsbok you’ve 
got ; I’ll trade you some koran for a steak.” 

To this the soldiers readily agreed, and seeing 
that Dave’s back hurt him, they told him to take it 
easy and they would make themselves at home. 
They listened to the story about the leopard with 
keen interest, and complimented Dave on having 
helped to bring the animal down. 

“I very glad you American boy,” said the leader, 


THE THREE DUTCH SOLDIERS 


187 


with a grim smile. “ I no like the Englees much — 
they want too much from the Boers — farms, cattle* 
gold — everyt’ing. ” 

“ But they want it honestly, don’t they ? ” asked 
Dave, who felt bound to stick up for his uncle and 
his cousin. 

The big Boer shrugged his shoulders. “ They say 
so,” he answered in Cape Dutch ; “ but we cannot 
believe it. They came in here first just to run the 
mines — now they want to run the country as well. 
W e were doing well enough before they came. Why 
did they not leave us alone ? ” 

“ But they claim that you invited English capital 
here, and capital won’t come unless it is backed up 
by men, and that means women and children too, in 
a case like this ; and now that all these people are 
here, it seems something of a shame not to give them 
a right to vote. I am an American, but my father 
has come here with me and invested a good part of 
his money in a farm, for which he is taxed as heavily 
as anybody, and yet he hasn’t a right to vote for 
even a constable, if one was to be voted for.” 

“He can stay her^ fourteen years and become a 
citizen.” 

“ He can if he declares his intentions and lives for 


188 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


fourteen years on probation, so to speak. Even 
then he can’t get his final papers unless the authori- 
ties see fit to give them to him.” 

“ Why should he wish to vote ? ” put in the third 
soldier, sharply. “ Isn’t the Dutch form of govern- 
ment good enough for him ? We run things as our 
fathers and our grandfathers did before us. If that 
is not good enough, then let the Uitlander get out, 
say I,” and he sat back and puffed at his short 
briar-root pipe as if Jiis argument settled the whole 
question. 

“ I do not wish to find fault,” went on Dave, cau- 
tiously, not caring to make enemies of these new- 
comers, who in themselves seemed warm-hearted 
enough. “To me the whole thing seems an un- 
pleasant state of affairs that the leaders on both 
sides might easily remedy. Perhaps the English 
ask too much, but, on the other hand, the Dutch 
seem to be willing to grant nothing. My uncle says 
the tax on dynamite is so high that every mine 
owner in the state is kicking about it ; and yet, with 
all the high taxes on mining articles £tnd on city 
property, there are hardly any improvements ; and a 
big city like Johannesburg suffers for the want of 
proper street pavements, street lighting, police pro- 

V 

4 


THE THREE DUTCH SOLDIERS 


189 


tection, sewers, and a court of justice where the 
English may have equal rights with the Dutch. I 
do not say these things for myself ; my uncle says 
them, and he has been here a much longer time than 
I have.” 

“Your uncle don’t understand us Boers,” an- 
swered the leader of the soldiers. “We may be 
wrong in some things, but we are right in this. 
We were driven from Cape Colony and Natal into 
the Transvaal, and here we stay, and no English, 
no Germans, no Americans, shall take the ruling 
power from the Dutch. It is God-given, and we 
will fight for it, if needs be, to the last drop of our 
blood ! ” 

“ Amen ! ” responded the other soldiers, promptly, 
and lifted their broad-brimmed hats. Their love of 
Dutch institutions was a part of their religion. 
However much he might differ with them in their 
opinions, Dave could not help but admire their 
sincerity. 

As if that amen had closed the discussion, the 
soldiers now changed the subject and questioned 
the youth about himself and about the hunting 
expedition and how long he expected to be out, 
in the meantime fixing themselves some gemsbok 


190 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


steaks over the fire, and slicing off a generous round 
in exchange for the koran given them. They had 
come over from a post in the northeast, and re- 
ported meeting an American hunter there who, 
from their description, Dave rightfully guessed 
must have been Captain Barton. 

“ I wish he would come this way,” said the boy. 
“ I know I’d have fine times if he was with our 
party.” The soldiers reported that the hunter had 
been loaded down with skins, heads, and horns to 
the extent of eight mule loads, and was also bring- 
ing with him a case of birds and a cage full of rare 
monkeys. They were not certain, but thought he 
was bound for Pretoria. 

“ He said if there was to be any fighting he 
wanted to get out of the country,” said one of the 
soldiers. “ He was up to Fort Tuli, and I suppose the 
English there told him how black matters looked.” 

“ And do you really think it will come to war ? ” 
cried Dave, in astonishment. 

“ When a fire starts there is no telling where it 
will end,” answered the Boer, gravely. “I have 
seen a fire on the veldt stop at the first tiny stream 
it came to, and I have seen another fire leap all 
streams and burn down the tallest forest. If the 


THE THREE DUTCH SOLDIERS 


191 


English are wise they will not force the Dutch too 
far into a corner.” 

It was on the tip of Dave’s tongue to reply 
to this, but prudence kept him silent, and he went 
on mending the canvas, while the soldiers finished 
their meal and then threw themselves down to 
smoke and to doze in the shade afforded by the 
branches of the fallen tree. And thus the remain- 
der of the day slipped by until the sun began to 
sink in the west, when Dave commenced to wonder 
why Will did not come back. 

44 And now we must be on our way again,” cried 
the leading soldier, leaping up, followed by his 
companions. Their horses were quickly caught, 
unhobbled and saddled, and they leaped upon their 
backs. 44 Good-by, boy, may the hunt bring in 
plenty of meat and skins ! ” And then they swept 
off, Dave waving them a parting salute. 

The visit of the Boers had broken the loneliness 
of the situation, but now, with the soldiers gone and 
night coming on, the camp seemed more desolate 
than ever. Leaving the brushwood, Dave walked 
out on the wide veldt. As far as eye could reach, 
neither human being nor animal was in sight, for 
the Boers had disappeared around a distant kopje. 


192 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


The solitude of that vast plain was oppressive, 
and the boy soon returned to the camp, and then 
sauntered slowly to the river bank, where the tall 
trees were casting long shadows down the stream. 
Close at hand a few birds set up their song notes, 
and from a distance came the chattering of monkeys 
and the occasional hoarse cry of a baboon, but other- 
wise all was silent. 

“ I wish Will would come back,” he half muttered 
to himself. “ Surely he doesn’t intend to stay away 
all night. I wonder if he struck the trail of some- 
thing big, like an eland or hartebeest, for instance. 
That would be worth bringing down.” 

He was about to turn back to camp, when some- 
thing dark floating On the stream attracted his at- 
tention. It looked hairy, and at first he thought it 
might be a small portion of a hippopotamus’ body, 
and raised his gun just for a chance shot, well aware 
that a single bullet would never kill the beast unless, 
by rare chance, it might plough through his brain. 
But then the object turned over and came close to 
the river bank, and he saw that it was a soft hat. 
Eagerly he reached out with his rifle barrel and 
drew it in. Then as he recognized the head cover- 
ing he gave a groan. 


THE THREE DUTCH SOLDIERS 


193 


“Will’s hat, I would know it out of a thousand ! 
What in the world has happened to him ? Has he 
fallen into the river and been drowned ? ” 

These questions were easy to ask, but impossible 
for Dave to answer. Filled with increasing alarm 
he forgot all about his lame back, and began to hunt 
up and down the river bank, at the same time yell- 
ing at the top of his lungs and firing off his pistol. 
But no reply came back to these signals, and soon 
the blackness of night settled down and he found 
himself still alone. 


CHAPTER XXI 


INTO THE FOREST AND OUT 

To go back to poor Will at the time he pitched 
headlong in the brush and found, on attempting 
to rise, that the leader of the water-bucks was 
coming straight for him at full speed. 

For one brief instant the heart of the youth 
seemed to stop beating, and a lightning-like vision 
swept over his mind, in which he saw himself 
pierced through and through by those terrible 
horns now bent low to rend him asunder. 

But then the law of self-preservation asserted 
itself, and swinging «around his rifle, he took hasty 
aim and pulled the trigger. A shrill cry from 
the water-buck followed, and then with one mighty 
leap the beast fell before him. By a lucky chance 
— or was it through an All-wise Providence ? — the 
bullet had entered the animal’s left eye, and slant- 
ing downward, found its way into the throat. 

Yet it was not dead, and tried in a pitiful way 
to rise, only tumbling back after each effort. In 
194 


INTO THE FOREST AND OUT 


195 


the meantime, the other water-bucks swept by, 
leaving their wounded leader and Will to them- 
selves. 

In order to put the beast out of its misery Will 
reloaded his rifle, and then drawing closer with 
caution, emptied two shots from his pistol into the 
water-buck. This settled him, and after several 
tremulous kicks and a mighty gasp, he settled 
back, stretched himself, and laid still. 

“ Phew ! but that was a narrow escape ! ” mur- 
mured the boy, after it was all over. His fore- 
head was bathed in a cold perspiration, and his 
hand shook so that he could scarcely refill the 
chambers of his pistol. 

Now that the water-buck was dead, he was 
sorry it was not some beast that might be of 
profit to him. He had never brought down such 
a sturdy member of the antelope family before, 
and he gazed at the carcass with interest, wonder- 
ing if the horns might not be of value. 

As he leaned over to examine the horns, another 
mighty roar rent the air, causing him to leap back 
in new alarm. In the excitement he had forgotten 
about that first roar, but now he remembered it 
only too well. Looking toward the end of the 


196 BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 

cliff, he saw some brush parting slowly. In another J 
second there appeared the head of a tawny lion, I 
whose fierce eyes were bent directly upon the I 
remains of the water-buck. The beast had suf- ] 
fered from some attack, for his left ear, of a 
blackish color, was covered with half-dried blood. ] 
He was evidently very hungry, for he hardly gave 
Will any attention. 

The sudden appearance of the monarch of the j 
forest caused the youth to beat a hasty retreat, I 
and as the lion moved around, the boy was forced 
away from the brush and up on the narrow cliff I 
the water-bucks had occupied. Scrambling up to 
the very top of the rocks, he paused, to find the j 
lion at the dead buck’s side, lapping up the blood j 
which was flowing from the wound in the eye. 

Will felt that he was in a bad situation, and 
what made it worse was the fact that in his hasty ! 
retreat he had dropped his rifle close to the water- I 
buck, so that he had now only his pistol and the 
shotgun to rely upon, and the latter was charged 
only with fine shot put in for bird-shooting purposes. * 

“ Here’s a state of things ! ” he muttered dis- j 
mally, as he sat on the highest rock he could find 
and watched the lion. “ If ever a boy was in a 


INTO THE FOREST AND OUT 


197 


box, I guess that boy is yours truly! If I fire 
the pistol at the beast, I suppose it will only make 
him mad, and he’ll come for me hot-footed. He 
looks to be in a bad humor already.” 

Several minutes passed — to Will the time seemed 
an age — and then the lion slowly dragged the car- 
cass of the water-buck out of sight behind some 
bushes. A rending of flesh and a cracking of bones 
followed, and the youth knew by the sounds that 
the monarch of the forest was making his day’s 
meal then and there, without going to the trouble 
of dragging his prize to his home. This showed 
that he was more than ordinarily hungry, or else 
weak from the wound on his head. 

It was a long time before the cracking of bones 
ceased, and Will began to wonder if the lion would 
show himself again or skulk off, as is their usual 
habit after having eaten their fill. He could see 
nothing from where he sat, and tried to gain 
another point not quite so high, but farther to 
the right. This brought him close to the water’s 
edge, and it was here that he dropped his hat 
into the stream and saw the head covering float 
off without being able to do anything to recpver it. 

Try his best, however, he could see nothing of 


198 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


the lion. Had the beast gone, or was he prepar- I 
ing for a secret attack? That was the question ] 
which fairly set Will’s nerve on edge, and made j 
him remain on the rocks, pistol in hand and shot- I 
gun laid across his knees. If he was attacked, he I 
would light as best he could, and if the worst ] 
came to the worst, he would leap into the river 1 
and strike out for the opposite shore. He had no I 
desire to make bait of himself for some wily croco- j 
dile that might be lying down there in the muddy 
reeds, but anything was better than falling into j 
the lion’s maw.. 

Hour after hour went by, and Will was n'early j 
overcome by the terrific heat that poured down on 
his uncovered head. ft But he did not dare to give j 
up his present position, for fear the lion would 1 
commence the attack as soon as he got away from j 
the water. He wished for a drink, but none was 
at hand, and the rusk he had brought almost 1 
refused to go down without some artificial mois- j 
tening. 

At last, as the sun began to set, the youth grew • 
desperate. “ It won’t do to remain here in the 
dark,” he reasoned. “ That lion wouldn’t like 
anything better than that. I ? ll make a break 


INTO THE FOREST AND OUT 


199 


down the river bank, and if he shows himself, I’ll 
give him all that’s in the pistol and the shotgun 
too, and then trust to the water. This watching 
for something that isn’t coming is enough to 
knock a chap’s backbone all to flinders ! ” 

As noiselessly as possible he left the high rock 
and picked his way down the cliff to where a por- 
tion of it overlooked the muddy river bank. Here 
he took a drop, landing in the mud up to his 
ankles, but unharmed. Beyond was the tall reed 
grass and the brush and trees, and hither he 
made his way, pausing every few steps to survey 
the situation. Once he fancied he heard the lion 
coming, and retreated to the water, but the alarm 
proved a false one. 

If it had been dark on the rocks, it was still more 
so in the brush, and had it not been that he had the 
river to guide him, Will must have become lost. 
As it was, he nearly missed his way, and plunged 
headlong into a gully where he found the water up 
to his knees. The gully was full of birds, but they 
all flew away before he could get a shot at them, 
even if he had wanted to fire, which was doubtful. 

Having covered a mile or more, the boy felt him- 
self fairly safe again, and struck out boldly for 


200 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


camp, wondering what Dave would think of his 
long absence, and what his cousin would say when 
he saw him returning empty handed. He knew 
that the river made a broad turn just above him, 
and decided now to leave the bank and take a 
short cut to where he had left Dave. 

But, as we all know, short cuts are not always 
profitable. In plunging into the forest, Will got 
turned around, and after tramping for two hours 
through thick brush and over tangled tree roots, he 
found himself face to face with the knowledge that 
he was hopelessly lost. 

Here was a new cause for alarm, and he bitterly 
regretted having left the river bank at all. “ I’d 
be in camp by this time,” he grumbled. “What a 
fool’s day I am making of it right straight through ! 
I suppose I may as well stay where I am for all the 
good it will do me to wear myself out moving on to 
goodness knows where.” 

Nevertheless, he did not stand still, but, coming 
to a small stream of water, threw in a twig to ascer- 
tain how the current was running. Having learned 
this, he began to follow the stream, satisfied that 
sooner or later it must bring him back to the river. 

But rivers in South Africa, as elsewhere, do not 


INTO THE FOREST AND OUT 


201 


run in anything like a straight course. The stream 
Will followed wound around in the shape of a letter 
C with the letter S attached, and before it found the 
Crocodile River, made its way out of the forest and 
along the edge of the veldt. Finding himself at 
last in the open once more, the youth felt loath to 
reenter the forest. 

“I’ll camp out right where I am until morning,” 
he concluded, when from out of the semi-gloom he 
saw several objects approaching him. At first they 
looked like giraffes or some other wild beasts, but as 
they drew closer he saw they were horses, three in 
number, and that one was being ridden by a tall 
black. 

“ Roko ! ” he yelled at the top of his voice, and 
ran forward joyfully. It was indeed the Kafir, who 
was somewhat amazed to see him out on the veldt 
alone, at a distance of fully a mile from where he 
had left the two boys. 

“I have hard time to get horses,” he explained, 
after Will had leaped into the saddle and they were 
riding along. “ Storm make dem run an’ run an’ 
run, and Roko most tired to death following the 
spoor. Den when I am almost dare hear lion com- 
ing up. He go to kill one horse when I shoot 


202 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


him on top de head. He run off an’ I get horses. 
We get on wrong road and so take lot time get 
back.” 

“You hit a lion on the head!” ejaculated Will. 
“It must have been the very beast I fell in with.” 
And he told his story, to which the Kafir listened 
with close attention. 

“ He same lion,” he announced. “ Bad fellow dat 
— regular man-eater. Roko like to kill um.” 

“ So would I like to kill him, — but I don’t want 
to give him the chance to chew me up,” answered 
Will. 

The journey back to camp lasted until nearly day- 
light, for they had to make a wide detour to avoid 
a treacherous vley , where a few inches of water 
covered a morass of the stickiest kind of mud. 
When they came in they found Dave sitting on 
the fallen tree, rifle in hand, the picture of despair. 

“ Will ! ” he cried, and his face brightened in- 
stantly. “ I was afraid you had been drowned, Or 
that some wild animal had carried you off. And 
Roko, too, and the horses ! Oh, but I’m glad you 
are all back ! ” And he felt very much like dancing 
a jig for joy, so great was his mental relief. 

It took some time for each to tell his story and to 


INTO THE FOREST AND OUT 


203 


partake of the gemsbok steak which Dave cooked 
over the camp-fire. But after the stories were told 
and the early dawn meal disposed of, all were glad 
enough to lie down and partake of a short but sound 
sleep, which did much to restore them to them- 
selves, both mentally and physically. 


CHAPTER XXII 


A LION AND A GEMSBOK HUNT 

“ Yes, I would really like to go after that lion and 
see if we can’t bring him down.” 

It was Will who spoke, as he sat on the tree stir- 
ring up the fire with a long stick he had picked up. 
A sound sleep had done wonders for him, and he was 
now as eager as ever to continue the grand hunt. 

“ I am with you,” returned Dave, promptly. “We 
came out to hunt, and such a chance won’t fall our 
way again in a hurry. We are three to one, so to 
speak, and have our horses back, and that lion is 
more or less wounded. I move we start on the trail, 
or spoor, as they call it out here, without delay.” 

Both boys looked at Roko, who was preparing an- 
other meal. The Kafir smiled in his own peculiar 
manner. “We go — soon as eat,” he said simply. 
“ Um boys bag lion big, big men den ! ” And he 
showed his ivories. 

It was probably three o’clock in the afternoon 
204 


A LION AND A GEMSBOK HUNT 


205 


when they left the camp where so much of interest 
had occurred. They were just starting when the 
Kafir suddenly raised his hand for silence, and 
pointed down to the river bank where a fringe of 
brush partly cut off the view of the stream. 

“ What is it ? I see nothing,” whispered Will, 
after a pause. 

“ I see something,” returned Dave. “ Is it a crane ? 
No, it must be a secretary bird by the quills back of 
his ears.” 

Roko nodded. “ Whole lot cornin’,” he whispered. 
“ Good chance fo’ bag, as um call it,” and again he 
grinned. 

Dismounting, the party of three crept forward, 
using the brush for a screen. But they were still 
some distance off when the secretary birds caught 
sight of them, and like a flash all disappeared into 
the river. 

“Well I never ! ” cried Dave. “How soon will 
the}^ come up, Roko ? ” 

“ Come up udder side,” replied the native. “No 
good shoot — we no cross to get um,” and he walked 
back to where their steeds had been left. 

“It’s too bad we lost them,” remarked Will, dis- 
appointedly. “ But then it’s only the story-book 


206 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


hunter who brings down everything,” he added, 
with a droll smile. 

They were soon galloping over the veldt, which, 
with the exception of the single kopje and the cliff 
previously mentioned, was as smooth as a barn floor, 
as far as the eye could reach. As they advanced 
they kept their guns in readiness for any game that 
might appear, but the only animals which showed 
themselves were the frisky little meerkats, and they 
kept their distance, as if knowing that Roko would 
like to bring them down only too well, in order to 
use their soft fur with which to make a Kafir karosse , 
or cloak. 

They came upon the lion’s spoor quicker than an- 
ticipated, and in a manner which almost proved dis- 
astrous to Dave. The youth was riding in advance, 
when suddenly Lightning shied to one side so vio- 
lently that Dave was unseated and thrown on the 
soft turf. Had it not been for Roko the horse 
would have bolted then and there. 

“ A wild beast spoor,” announced the native, and 
got down on his knees to make an examination. 
“ Lion’s spoor,” he announced presently. “ Leave 
blood, too. Blood frighten uni horse.” 

All of the steeds were more or less frightened, for 


A LION AND A GEMSBOK HUNT 


207 


a Transvaal equine knows a lion’s trail as soon as he 
crosses it — or at least lie knows that it is a trail 
that is dangerous for him — and each of the beasts 
was trembling, and had to be spoken to firmly but 
kindly before he would settle himself. 

“ Do you suppose the lion is near at hand ? ” ques- 
tioned Will, as he looked at his rifle once more, to 
make positive that nothing was amiss. 

“ Lion go off on good run — but leave blood all de 
way,” returned Roko. “ Come, we try ride him 
quick before sun make dark.” 

The Kafir now took the lead, with Will and Dave 
side by side behind him. It was clear overhead, but 
by no means hot, and soon the horses were going at 
their best speed. Presently they came to a tiny 
spruit where the lion had stopped to drink. They 
could tell this by the drops of blood on the stones, 
and also by the fact that the horses refused to 
partake of the water, even though they were 
thirsty. 

At last they discovered another kopje far ahead, 
midway between the spoor they were following and 
the forest that lined the river bank, which in this 
vicinity made a grand semicircle. The upper end 
of the kopje was piled high with large rocks and 


208 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


overgrown with heavy brush, and here Roko said he 
felt certain the lion must be. 

Um walk down here,” he explained. “ Take 
slow step, too. Dat show him close home. We be 
careful now or get in big trouble,” he added. 

The warning was not necessary, for both boys were 
already keyed up to the top pitch of excitement and 
all the guard they could command. 

It was decided that they should separate, Roko 
riding up the slope of the kopje and Will and Dave 
riding around either side. Of course the boys kept 
a good distance away from the nearest brush, and the 
Kafir did not advance a step until he felt that all 
was fairly safe in front of him. 

Dave had covered a distance of less than fifty 
yards when he heard a shot ring out, and looking up 
saw that Roko had fired at an opening between the 
rocks near the very crest of the kopje. A snarl 
rent the air immediately after, and the boy saw the 
tawny form of a lion leap down to another hollow 
a few feet farther back. As soon as the monarch of 
the forest showed himself Dave blazed away, but 
whether his shot hit or not he could not tell. 

“ Where is he ? I don’t see him ! ” came in a yell 
from Will. “ Is he coming this way ? ” 


A LION AND A GEMSBOK HUNT 


209 


“ No, he is retreating toward the woods,” shouted 
Dave. “ There he goes ! ” 

Bang ! went Will’s rifle, and then Roko let fly a 
second bullet. The lion had now disappeared from 
Dave’s view, but soon he reappeared, his magnificent 
face filled with savage rage. He had indeed turned 
toward the woods, but Will’s shot had caught him 
in the flank, and now he came for Dave, leaping the 
earth with wide bounds and showing every tooth in 
his cruel-looking mouth. 

For one brief second Dave’s heart seemed to stop 
beating, and he felt that the lion must surely knock 
him from his horse and chew him up. Then in- 
stinct more than reason told him to aim and fire, 
and he did so mechanically, catching the monarch 
of the forest fairly and squarely in the lower jaw, a 
shot which cracked the bone and sent the beast 
tumbling back with shrill snarls of pain. 

“ Good shot ! ” came from Roko, as he leaped 
down the rocks on foot, and now he blazed away 
again, hitting the lion in the stomach. But the 
monarch of the forest was still game, and rising he 
shook his great hairy mane and turned to run 
around the kopje, thus coming head on for Will. 

“ Cresar’s ghost ! ” murmured the lad. “ Get out 


210 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


of here ! ” and he shook his arm at the lion. Then, 
recollecting himself, he pulled his pistol and let 
drive, once, twice, thrice, in rapid succession, the 
first bullet missing his majesty, but the second and 
third finding his vitals and causing him to roll 
over into a ball. Dave and Roko also fired again, 
and presently the lion lay motionless on the veldt. 

“Is he dead?” asked Dave. Now that it was 
all over he found he could hardly speak. 

“ I t’ink so,” answered Roko. “ Stay here an’ 
Roko see.” 

With his ever trusty knob-kerrie , which he had 
insisted upon bringing along, the Kafir advanced 
upon the lion’s body and poked the beast sus- 
piciously. Then he nodded for the boys to come 
on. “Him dead as stone wood,” he said. “You 
big, big men now — no more boys.” 

“ I think you did as much as any of us toward 
killing him,” said Dave. “ My, what a tremendous 
fellow he is ! He’s all of eight feet long, and 
must have stood at least three feet high. Will, 
this is game worth bringing down.” 

“ That is true, Dave ; but I don’t know as I want 
the excitement of a lion hunt every day.” 

“Nor I. One lion on this trip is enough glory, 


A LION AND A GEMSBOK HUNT 211 

♦ 

eh ? Roko, we’ll' spend the rest of the /time looking 
for elands, gemsbok, and the like.” 

“ Roko like dat best,” answered the Kafir. “ Lion 
good if kill lion, no good if lion kill us.” 

At this the boys laughed. “ Roko struck the 
nail on the head,” went on Dave. 

It was now growing dark, and no time was lost 
in fitting up a drag upon which the lion’s carcass 
was rolled and then drawn to a suitable spot by 
the river. Here the Kafir skinned the beast with 
care, saving not only the pelt but also the head and 
mane. Some of the fat was then cut off for the 
fire and a lively blaze started, “to keep away the 
lion’s mate if she was around,” as Dave put it. 
But no lioness came to disturb them, so they 
concluded that his majesty must have been a 
bachelor. 

On the day following it was cloudy ; but as it 
did not rain, Roko put it down as an ideal day for 
hunting, and so it proved. Leaving camp early, 
they struck the spoor of some gemsbok before 
noon, and followed the creatures to a pool of 
sparkling water lying at the foot of a kopje several 
miles east of the river. They came up against the 
strong wind that was blowing, and by dismounting 


212 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


and using the brush for a screen, reached a point 
within a hundred and twenty yards of their game 
before the gemsbok took the alarm. 

All three of the hunters were fortunate in hitting 
their quarry in some vital part, and although every 
gemsbok ran off, the three wounded ones were fol- 
lowed with ease on horseback and brought to earth 
in less than half an hour. 

“That is what I call a nice haul,” said Will, 
when they came together again. “ What a pity 
we can’t take all of this meat home with us.” 

“ It is a shame,” answered Dave. “ But the 
horses wouldn’t carry it.” 

The run after the gemsbok had tired them, and 
they were glad enough to rest for the balance of the 
day. Lying in the shade the boys let Koko attend 
to the skins and to the next meal. 

“ Here comes somebody ! ” suddenly cried Will, 
and all leaped forward. But the newcomers were 
only some friendly Kafirs, who had come in on the 
trail of the dead lion. The natives were given their 
fill of both lion and gemsbok meat, and w^ent off 
highly elated. 

“ Big trouble coming,” said one of the Kafirs to 
Dave ere he left. “ Much talk between de Boers 


A LION AND A GEMSBOK HUNT 


213 


an’ de Englees. Say down to kraal maybe war 
cornin’.” 

“ So we’ve heard,” answered Dave, soberly. 
44 W ell, I trust it all ends in talk. I’m sure I 
don’t want to see any war.” 


CHAPTER XXIII 


THE OUTBREAK OF THE WAR 

Several weeks passed and Dave and Will were 
having what both said was an immense time. On 
the second day after bringing down the gemsbok 
they fell in with a herd of elands, and after following 
the beautiful creatures for several hours managed to 
bring down one magnificent buck and a small doe. 
That night the doe was carried off by a hyena, and 
following the trail of this beast they caught him on 
the night following, and Roko despatched him with 
his Jcnob-Jcerrie. 

Dave was also fortunate enough to run across a 
roan antelope and bring him down by a shot straight 
through the heart. All three of the party also 
stirred up a fierce-looking South African buffalo, 
but though Will put a bullet into the beast he got 
away after a wild rush in which Roko’s horse was in 
imminent danger of being horned to death. 

Birds were numerous, and many a quail and par- 
tridge was added to their larder when they grew 
214 


THE OUTBREAK OF THE WAR 


213 


tired of the other meat. They also went fishing 
with fair success, but were much bothered with 
lizards getting on their lines. 

One night Will was greatly startled through 
rousing up from a sound sleep and finding something 
soft resting on his shoulder. Putting out his hand 
he touched something hairy, and leaped to his feet 
with a cry that quickly aroused Dave and the Kafir. 
For a minute there was great excitement when, by 
the blaze from the fire, they made out the intruder to 
be a half-tame meerkat, who had eaten his fill from 
their stock of meat and had come in to make himself 
at home. Occasionally these meerkats are tamed, 
and allowed to run around the Boer homes very much 
like domestic cats. 

“I tell you I could follow hunting for a good 
while,” remarked Will, as they sat around the camp- 
fire one night. “ I will be sorry when this outing 
comes to an end.” 

“Well, we can’t expect to be off for pleasure for- 
ever,” replied Dave. “ It won’t be many days now 
before both of us are needed on the farms. 1 suppose 
your father has already gone back to the mines.” 

“ More than likely. I’ll tell you what, Dave, this 
talk of war doesn’t suit me at all. If it comes to 


216 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


war, we English will be in hard luck right here 
among the Boers. They may confiscate all of our 
property.” 

“Your government wouldn’t allow that, Will. 
But it would make it mighty unpleasant, no doubt 
of it,” concluded Dave ; and there, for the time be- 
ing, the subject was dropped. 

But while the two boys were enjoying themselves 
shooting game on the veldt and in the forests bor- 
dering several of the rivers in the northern section 
of the Transvaal, public events were shaping them- 
selves for a war which was to test the mettle of Boer 
and Briton to the utmost. 

Of the arguments for and against this war whole 
chapters might be written. But it is not my inten- 
tion to go into all of those details here, for what we 
have to deal with in this book is the haps and mis- 
haps of our heroes, and how the war affected their 
fortunes. As is usual in all wars, both sides claimed 
they were perfectly right, and so sure were they of 
this, that they were willing to fight out the contest 
to the bitter end. 

Briefly put, it was a question of “ taxation without 
representation.” The Uitlander refused longer to be 
taxed by the Dutch Boers unless they were given 


THE OUTBREAK OF THE WAR 


217 


some say in public affairs. They outnumbered the 
Dutch two to one, and paid nine-tenths of the taxes, 
and they felt that they should no longer be called 
upon to run Johannesburg and the mines in order 
to fill the pockets of the Dutch administration with 
gold. On the other hand the Dutch said : “We 
trekked to this country to make it our own, the 
mines from which you get your gold is on our land, 
if we give you a right to vote equal to our own, you 
will put nothing but Englishmen into office, and the 
Dutch Boer will again be put under foot. If you do 
not like the way we manage things, you can pack up 
your goods and get out.” But to get out was not 
so easy, for tens of thousands of Englishmen had 
made the Transvaal and the Orange Free State their 
permanent home, and had every shilling of their 
capital invested there. As was but natural they 
looked to their mother-country for relief ; and Eng- 
land responded at once ; and the torch of war was 
lit, not to be extinguished for many heartrending 
months to come. Possibly cool-headed statesmen upon 
both sides might have averted this war ; but the 
same can be said of the War of the Revolution, the 
Crimea, the terrible Civil War, and every other dif- 
ference of opinion where the appeal has been to arms. 


218 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 




It was on Saturday, the seventh day of October, 
1899, that Queen Victoria signed a call for Parlia- 
ment to meet ten days later, and also issued a call 
for the Reserves, — the soldiery not on active duty. 
In the meantime the British troops in South Africa 
were hurried to the borders of the Orange Free State 
and the Transvaal without delay. At this time the 
British regulars in the Cape Colony, Natal, Bechu- 
analand, and Rhodesia numbered probably fifteen 
thousand, and soon eight thousand more were on 
their way to South Africa from India. 

As soon as the queen issued her call the V olksraad 
of the Transvaal met, and also that of the Orange 
Free State, and an ultimatum was issued, demanding 
that all of the British forces be withdrawn from the 
Dutch frontier within twenty-four hours. This 
ultimatum remained unanswered ; the British troops 
were pushed forward more rapidly than ever, and 
on Thursday, October 12, the fighting began by an 
attack on a British armored train near Mafeking. 
In this attack, the train was derailed and fifteen 
soldiers in charge of it were captured, after which 
the Dutch began an advance upon the town itself. 
This was on the extreme western frontier of the 
Transvaal. In the south, the Transvaal commandoes 








THE OUTBREAK OF THE WAR 


219 


united with a portion of the Free State troops in a 
march through the Van Reenan Pass of the mountains 
toward Ladysmith, while some troops passed Laing’s 
Nek and Botha’s Pass on their way to Newcastle. 
Here only a slight resistance could be offered by the 
British, and two days later the Dutch occupied the 
town. The march of this section of the Dutch army 
was now toward Glencoe, a village lying on the rail- 
way line to Ladysmith and Durban ; and it was 
at Glencoe Camp that the first real battle of the war 
occurred. 

Two days after the talk about war Will and Dave 
were journeying along the river in hopes of stirr- 
ing up some big game when, without warning, they 
ran into a Dutch commando numbering over three 
hundred horsemen, all well mounted and equipped. 
The soldiers were riding at a rapid gait, but when 
the boys put in an appearance, the leader brought 
them to a sudden halt. 

“You are Englishmen, hey?” demanded the 
leader, a heavy-set man of fifty, with bushy black 
beard and long, black eyebrows, from under which 
shot the light of an equally black pair of stern eyes. 

“I am English,” replied Will. “He is an Ameri- 
can,” and he nodded toward Dave. 


220 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“ But we are cousins,” put in Dave, hastily. 

“•So?* And do you know the news?” went on 
the Dutch commander, grimly. 

“ The news ? ” repeated Will. “ What news ? ” 
“The English have brought on a war against us.” 

“ War ! ” came from the cousins. 

“Yes, war; and it will not be long now before 
every Englishman is driven from our country, that 
is, unless he is willing to give up his arms and 
accept the terms the 6oer government has to offer.” j 
“This is certainly news,” said Will, slowly. He ' 
hardly knew what to reply. He was thinking of 
home — of his mother and little sister, and of his 
father and the money invested in the farm and 
the mines. How were his relatives and the farm 
and mining matters faring now ? “ Has there been 

any fighting yet ? ” he questioned. 

“Some, — and the Dutch soldiers have whipped 
the rooibaatjes every time,” continued the Dutch 
commander, referring, as is usual, to the English 
soldiery as redcoats, although, as a matter of fact, 
the army of the queen was attired in the plain, 
dull-colored uniform of the tropics. 

“ Well, if you have whipped our soldiers, it is 
only because they weren’t ready to meet you ! ” 


THE OUTBREAK OF THE WAR 


221 


cried Will, before he had stopped to think twice. 
“ When onr troops wake up to the fact that war is 
really on they will — ” 

At this point Will caught Dave’s eye, and a warn- 
ing look stopped him short. But grave mischief 
had been done, as the lowering looks of several 
nearby Dutchmen testified. 

“Ah, so you, too, are a rebellious Uitlander!” 
cried the Dutch leader, in his native tongue. “ It 
is well that we ran across you, otherwise you might 
have been left to pop down some of our soldiers 
on the sly. I will take your gun and your pistol, 
and also your name and address,” and he held out 
his hand for the weapons. 

At these words Will’s face paled a trifle. “What, 
you — you would rob me of my weapons ? ” he 
stammered. 

“ Such a proceeding is not robbery — in time of 
war, young man. I will take down your name and 
address, as I said before, and when this war is over 
you can have your weapons back. But a rebellious 
Englishman with firearms is too dangerous a person 
to be loose in the Transvaal in these times. The 
gun, I say ! ” 

The last words came so curtly that Will saw fur- 


222 BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 

ther argument would do no good. “ Here you are,” 
he said, and passed over the rifle. “ Surely I can 
keep the pistol, to bring down game enough to keep 
me alive.” 

The Dutch commander shook his head. “ You 
can keep nothing, and if you refuse to do as I wish, 
I shall take you with me as a prisoner. Which do 
you choose ? ” 

Without answering, Will handed over his pistol, 
and the shotgun on his back followed. Then the 
Dutch leader turned to Dave. 

“You say you are an American?” 

“I am.” 

“Your name and address?” 

“David Nelson. My father bought out the old 
Guelmann farm between Pretoria and Johannesburg 
about a year ago.” 

“ And your name ? ” went on the leader to Will. 

It was readily given, and jotted down in a long 
note-book, and also the lad’s address. Then the 
leader turned once more to Dave. 

“ You say you are an American. What do you 
intend to do in this war between us Dutchmen and 
the English ? ” 

“I’m sure I don’t know, captain.” 


THE OUTBREAK OF THE WAR 


223 


“ Probably you will side with your cousin, not 
so ? ” and the Boer smiled grimly. 

“Well, that would be natural, wouldn’t it? 
Still I can say frankly that I don’t like war of 
any kind.” 

“Neither do some of us Dutchmen; but when 
it is forced upon us we fight to the very end. God 
will be with us in our just contest. I shall have to 
take your weapons, too, I am afraid.” 

“Mine? That will leave us defenceless in case 
any wild beasts attack us.” 

“ The best thing both of you can do is to get 
home as quickly as you can. You, as an American, 
can keep your pistol, for you may need it at home, 
to guard against those who in war times do nothing 
but loot and plunder. But let me warn you that 
any treachery on your part against the Dutch will 
bring about your speedy death.” 

Argument was useless, Dave could see that as 
readily as could Will. The rifle was passed over, 
and after a few more words, the Dutch leader 
called to his commando, and away went the Boers 
over the wide veldt, leaving both of the boys much 
bewildered over the sudden turn of affairs. 


CHAPTER XXIV 


AN OLD ENEMY AGAIN TO THE FRONT 

“The war is a reality, Dave! What shall we 
do now ? ” 

“Take that Dutchman’s advice, Will, and get 
home as soon as we can. God alone knows what 
trouble our folks are having. 1^ is eas} r to see 
that the Boers mean business, and with so many 
British around them there may be fighting on 
every side.” 

“ If we are forced out of the country, father will 
lose all he has,” was Will’s sober comment. “But 
you are right, the sooner we get home the better. 
Perhaps father has already been made a prisoner, 
or something like that.” 

The two lads were riding for the spot where 
they had left Roko. They increased their speed, 
and in less than an hour bore down upon the Kafir 
like a whirlwind. 

“We are going home, Roko,” said Dave. “ War 
224 


AN OLD ENEMY AGAIN TO THE FHONT 225 


has been declared between the Dutch and the 
English.” 

“War!” came shrilly from the Kafir. “Who 
told you ? ” 

“ A Dutch captain who was in charge of several 
hundred men, and who relieved us of our rifles. 
Come, let us pack up and be off, for there is no 
telling how much we are needed at home.” 

The Kafir nodded quickly, to show that he under- 
stood thoroughly. All of their traps were at once 
packed and a hasty meal disposed of, and away 
they went, taking the shortest cut for Pretoria 
that was known to the native. 

My readers can well imagine how busy were 
the thoughts of both cousins as they galloped along. 
War had really started at last ! Where would it 
end, and what would be the consequences ? 

“ I am afraid, from what I have seen of the 
Dutch, it will be rule or ruin,” observed Dave. 
“ They gave up the Cape Colony and Natal ; I 
don’t think they’ll give up the Transvaal and the 
Free State.” 

“They will have to,” came quickly from his 
cousin. “ The English soldiers will sweep the 
country from end to end, you mark my words.” 

Q 


226 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“If they do, it will be one of the greatest pieces 
of work they ever accomplished, Will. My idea is, 
if the Dutch here have any success at all, every 
Dutchman in the southern portion of Africa will 
join in the war — for those in the Cape Colony 
and in Natal are not as friendly to the British as 
some folks at home think.” 

“ But we will whip them — no doubt of it,” 
said Will, earnestly. “ Old England forever ! ” 
he added, with a shout. 

At this Dave could not help but smile. “ I 
admire your pluck, cousin,” he observed. “ But 
don’t shout like that when you get to Pretoria, or 
some grim Boer may put a bullet through your 
head. My, how black that crowd did look when 
you began to praise Tommy Atkins, as you call 
your soldiers. I thought several of them would 
rush at you then and there.” 

“Oh, they were red-hot, I could -see that.” 

“ It would be no nice thing to be made a prisoner, 
either, Will. It would go hard with you all 
through the war,” went on Dave, bound to caution 
his cousin all that was necessary. 

“ I’ll be careful of my tongue in the future,” 
answered Will. “I wonder where the first battle 
will be fought?” 


AN OLD ENEMY AGAIN TO THE FRONT 227 

“According to that Dutchman there have been 
several skirmishes already. I don’t believe England 
will push things before she has a big army landed. 
The local troops in Cape Colony and Natal aren’t 
sufficient to cope with the united troops of the 
Transvaal and the Free State,” concluded Dave, 
earnestly. 

That night the little party camped near a vley 
of pure cold water overshadowed by a huge kopje 
of rocks and trailing vines. They did not reach 
this spot until long after the sun had gone down, 
and all were then so weary that scant attention 
was paid to the evening meal. The tent was 
fastened up against the rocks, and soon all were in 
the land of dreams, the snoring of the Kafir being 
loud enough to drive off any small beast that might 
be prowling around. 

“ And now straight for home ! ” cried Will, on 
arising at five o’clock. “ Something seems to tell 
me that we are wanted.” 

“ I think we are wanted myself,” answered Dave. 
u Hurry along the eland steak, Roko, and let us 
eat the last of the rusk. If all goes well, we’ll 
dine at home to-morrow night.” 

The horses were as fresh as ever, having found 


228 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


good fodder and a fine resting-place close by the 
vley. The party now advanced along a small 
spruit, where could be seen the spoor of many a 
wild animal, but trails were not what they were 
looking for just then, and no one paid any attention 
to the hoof-marks. 

It was in the middle of the afternoon that the 
sky began to cloud over, and presently a drizzling 
rain set in, accompanied by a fog which hid all 
their surroundings from sight. The fog made 
Roko utter a grunt of disgust. 

“ Be werry careful or miss way,” he remarked. 
“Bad country here — full of nasty holes.” He 
was right about the holes, for a little later Will’s 
horse stepped into one up to his knee joint and 
extricated himself only after great difficulty. Will 
was thrown off on the veldt, but sustained no 
further injury than the scratching of one hand and 
shoulder. 

By nightfall it was raining in torrents, and so 
dark that Roko said they had better seek shelter 
under the trees lining the Olifants River. “No 
get home to-morrow,” he added. “ We lose road, 
and somebody get hurt.” 

“ I believe he is right,” said Will. “ I am willing 


AN OLD ENEMY AGAIN TO THE FRONT 229 


enough to rest. W e can start a big fire, put up 
the canvas, and try to dry off.” 

Hungry, and cold to the very marrow of their 
bones, they tethered their horses and tied up the 
canvas as best they could. Then Roko went on 
a hunt for a little dry brush, which was soon 
lighted, and more brush heaped on top. Soon the 
twigs and limbs were crackling merrily, and a pot 
of coffee was sending forth a most appetizing odor. 
For supper they had a whole partridge and also 
some potatoes which they had picked up at a 
small farm-house along the way. They had asked 
if they might stop at the farm-house all night, but 
the Dutch owner had protested most vigorously, 
adding that he wanted nothing to do with “ Eng- 
leesmans.” 

The fire was built close up to the canvas shelter, 
and it was so hot that it did not take long for 
them to dry their clothing thoroughly. The warmth 
made them sleepy, and soon they were once again 
in the land of dreams. 

But their slumbers, though profound, did not 
last long. Feeling a sudden pain over his face, 
Dave awoke with a start, to find the entire brush 
in front of the camp in flames. The rain had 


230 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


ceased and the wind had arisen, and the fire was 
roaring loudly as it swept from bush to bush, taking 
in many a tree by the way. 

“Fire! fire!” yelled Dave. “Wake up, Will! 
Wake up, Roko ! The whole wood is on fire! ” 

A second call was not necessary, for Will and 
the Kafir were already stirring uneasily. Both 
leaped to their feet in amazement, and the Kafir 
let out a yell of terror in his native tongue. 

“We must get out of here, Dave!” cried Will, 
as soon as he could collect his senses. “ Where 
are the horses ? ” 

“ I don’t know. Broke away, most likely, as 
soon as the fire got anywhere near them.” 

“ All run fast,” burst in Roko. “ Maybe fire 
come around in circle, den be burnt up ! ” 

“Not if we know it,” answered Dave. “Come 
ahead,” and he picked up his horse’s saddle and a 
few other of the traps. The canvas had to be left j 
behind, and also what was left of the bok and eland ' 
meats. But this counted for nothing alongside of the 
fact that the conflagration was gaining tremendous 
headway every second, and they must run with all 
their might if they would save themselves. 

And run they did, helter-skelter, over rocks and 


AN OLD ENEMY AGAIN TO THE FRONT 231 


tree stumps and through the wood in the direction 
of the river. Once they heard the shrill neigh of 
a horse, but could not locate the direction of the 
sound. “ It’s Roko’s animal,” said Dave. “ Poor 
fellow, I reckon he is done for,” and Dave was 
right. The horse had become wedged in between 
two trees, and being unable to extricate himself, 
was speedily burnt to a crisp. 

The river gained, they lost no time in finding 
a fording place and moving over to the opposite 
shore. As the stream was fairly wide at this 
point, there was little danger of the fire coming 
across, and they paused on the bank, wondering 
what they should do next. 

“ If we had the horses, we might start out for 
home,” remarked Will. “ Roko could take turns in 
riding behind us.” 

“ Our animals may be lost, too,” answered Dave, 
soberly. “ On foot it will be a long tramp. I trust 
the fire burns itself out before daylight. How 
foolish we were not to tend to it better.” 

“ Roko think it keep on raining,” answered the 
Ivafir. “Rain stop werry quick, and um wind 
come up quicker. Can’t help fire now,” and he 
shrugged his huge shoulders. 


232 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“ No, there is no use in crying oyer spilt milk, 
as the saying goes,” put in Will. “Let us stay 
here till morning, and then learn what we can 
concerning the horses.” 

This was agreed to, and sitting down on the 
river bank they watched the fire, as it died down 
in one direction or shot up in another. It was 
a grand sight, and yet a sad one, when they con- 
sidered how much valuable timber was being de- | 
stroyed. The fire was a hot one, especially when 
it struck a clump of extra heavy gum trees close \ 
to the water’s edge, and they found it necessary j 
to move back for fifty or sixty yards. 

Dawn was breaking, and they were just about * 
to start on a hunt for the horses, when the sound v 
of a small body of men tramping through the 
woods broke upon their ears. 

“ Somebody is coming,” exclaimed Will. “ If 
they are Dutchmen, we had better keep out of 
sight.” 

“Right you are,” returned Dave, and motioned 
Roko to a nearby hollow. The Kafir understood, 
and soon the three were concealed in the depres- 
sion, where several bushes and some vines hid 
them completely from view. 


AN OLD ENEMY AGAIN TO THE FRONT 233 


The tramping came closer, and presently six men 
hove into appearance. They were all Dutchmen, 
and dressed in the uniform of the day, with car- 
tridge belts slung over one shoulder and strapped 
around their waists. All carried guns and were 
talking volubly, the subject of conversation being 
as to who had started the fire. 

“ It must have been some good-for-nothing Eng- 
lishman ! ” growled one, in his native tongue. “ I 
would like to catch him ! I would show him how 
we can serve the redcoats when we want to ! 
Take my word for it, he’d walk on crutches for the 
rest of his life ! ” 

“ That’s the talk, Hansa,” replied another. “ I 
am glad I came here to live with you. I shall 
like this war ! Fighting just suits me.” 

The last voice sounded strangely familiar, and 
at the risk of being discovered, Dave could not 
resist looking up to see the speaker. He was 
nearly dumfounded to behold Hendrik Kneip, the 
Dutch cattle man he thought he had left behind 
him in Texas ! 




CHAPTER XXY 

INTO A DUTCH PRISON PEN 

For the moment Dave could scarcely believe the 
evidence of his own senses. Hendrik Ivneip here 
in the Transvaal, and with the Dutch Boers, who 
had entered the forest to learn, if possible, who 
had started the fire that was raging ! Surely, this 
was a fact that outdid fiction. 

But then he remembered how Kneip had once 
told him of some relatives he had in South Africa, 

— a brother-in-law named Hansa Worll, and others. 
Probably the man addressed was that brother-in- 
law. 

44 He must have found Texas too hot to hold 
him after all of his trouble there,” thought the I 
youth. 44 Maybe Pepper started to have the sheriff 
arrest him. Won’t he be surprised if we ever 
meet face to face ! ” 

44 Get down there ! ” The guarded whisper came i 
from Will. 44 What do you mean by exposing 
yourself in that fashion ? ” 

234 


INTO A DUTCH PRISON PEN 


235 


“ I know one of the men,” whispered Dave in 
return. “ It is that Hendrik Kneip of whom I 
told you.” 

“The Dutchman from Texas? Surely you must 
be mistaken.” 

“No, I am positive of it. He must have — ” 

Dave broke off suddenly, and plunged deeper 
into the hollow than ever. The Boers had gone 
on, but now two of them came back, intending 
to take a short cut to where the river made a 
bend, several hundred feet farther down the 
stream. 

“ I think the fire is dying down,” one was saying 
in Cape Dutch. “If we take a walk to the bend 
we — * Hullo, what’s this ? A Kafir, as sure as the 
sun shines ! You black son of unrighteousness, 
what are you doing here ? Answer me, or I’ll 
flay you alive with my sjambok ! ” 

For stumbling into the hollow, he had tripped 
over Roko. Ere the Kafir could glide away the 
Dutchman had him by the arm with one hand, 
while with the other he raised a cruel-looking 
lash which he was carrying. 

“ Don’t cut me, Baas, please don’t ! ” cried the 
Kafir, who had a wholesome dread of the sjambok, 


236 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


as indeed have all the blacks of South Africa. “ I 
was doing no harm in the bush.” 

“No harm, you son of the pest! you sneaking 
baboon ! So you will start a lire so that you can 
gather up the dead rats and mice afterward, and 
eat them ! I know your kind — they burnt up 
Oom Canrow’s kraal, they did so, and ate all the 
rats afterward, so that they most died with the 
stomach ache because of so much eating. Take 
that ! and that ! ” 

Down came the sjambok on Roko’s bare shoul- 
ders, causing the Kafir to shriek with pain. To 
Will such a sight was no new one — more than j 
once he had seen a Boer whip a native into insen- I 
sibility — but to Dave the procedure, cruel in the 
extreme, was more than he could bear. Leaping 
up, he pointed his pistol at the Dutchman’s 
head. 

“ Drop that sjambok ! ” he cried sharply. “ Drop 
it, or I’ll lire ! ” 

To say that the Boer was astonished would be to 
put it very mildly. He had imagined that the Kafir 
was alone, and to thus find himself confronted by a 
white boy, and one with a drawn pistol, almost par- 
alyzed him. For an instant the sjambok remained 





Drop it, 


or I'll fire 




Fage 236 














INTO A t)UTCH PRISON PEN 


237 


poised in mid-air — the next it fell to the ground, 
and the hand dropped like a lump of lead. 

“Now you have certainly put your foot into it,” 
whispered Will, as he too showed himself. “Those 
Boers will just about kill us, I feel certain.” 

“Who are you?” demanded the second Dutch- 
man, who stood a short distance behind his com- 
panion. And then he let out a yell: “Worll! 
Pradik ! Hoelfrood ! Come here ! We have found 
them ! ” 

At once the other Dutchmen hurried to the spot, 
each with his gun ready for use. The trio were 
speedily surrounded, and then Hendrik Kneip ut- 
tered a cry of surprise. 

“ Dafe Nelson, can dot pe bossible ! ” he gasped, in 
his broken English. “ Vere yo’ vos come from, hey?” 

“That is none of your business, Kneip. I must 
say though I didn’t expect to meet you here.” 

“You know this young man?” demanded Hansa 
Worll of his brother-in-law, in Cape Dutch. 

“ I do. It is the young Nelson I have often 
spoken about. The boy who caused me so much 
trouble in Texas,” replied Kneip. He shook his 
long finger at Dave. “ Now, maype ve can square 
accounts, not so, hey?” he added, in English. 


238 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“ I want nothing to do with you, Hendrik Kneip,” 
answered Dave, who understood pretty much all that 
was said. “You can go your way, and I’ll go mine, 
and let that settle it.” 

“ But your party has set this wood on fire,” put 
in Worll, who evidently led the Dutch detachment, 
for such it really was. “You are traitors to the I 
republic, and would destroy all that belongs to 
the Boers.” 

“ The wood caught by accident,” put in Will, , 
“We merely lit a camp-fire, and the rising wind did 
the rest. As it is, we have lost our horses by the 
operation.” 

“ Ha, we believe not such a tale,” burst out one 
of the other Boers. “ I saw two Englishmen sneak- I 
ing by my kraal last night. More than likely they i 
wanted to steal my sheep to feed their good-for- 
nothing selves and families. I got my gun, but 
they ran off. You are of that party, hey?” 

“ No, we are of no such party, we are alone,” ] 
answered Dave. “ W e were on a hunt up on the 
Crocodile River when we heard of the breaking 
out of the war, and started for home immediately. < 
We were caught in the fog and rain, and made a 
camp in the woods, intending to push on for Pretoria 


INTO A DUTCH PRISON PEN 


289 


this morning. We have lost our horses and most 
of our traps, and were hunting for the horses when 
you came up.” 

“ A fairy story — a black tale of the night ! ” 
roared Hansa Worll. “ Did you expect to find your 
beasts at the bottom of this morass ? The truth is 
not in you. I am of a mind to give you the sjam- 
bok, and make you tell what is so, and not what 
you can make up ! ” 

44 Yes, yes, give him the sjambok ! ” burst in Hen- 
drik Kneip, his dark face glowing with hatred of 
Dave. 44 It will do him good, and he deserves 
it.” 

44 You forget that I have a pistol,” said Dave, in a 
low but convincing tone. 44 None of you shall touch 
me without paying the cost.” 

44 Do you threaten us?” demanded Worll, 
wrathfully. 

44 1 am only stating my position. I have done 
nothing to warrant this attack.” 

44 You are guilty of burning down yonder wood.” 

44 That was an accident, and nothing has been 
burnt but some bushes and a few trees which will 
grow again. I say nothing ; I believe one of our 
horses has been burnt up.” 


240 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“ And your other horses — did they escape ? ” 
demanded the leader of the Dutchmen, with sud- 
den interest. 

“ I don’t know ; I hope so.” 

“So do I — for I doubt not but what they are 
more worthy to escape than you,” was Worll’s un- 
complimentary return. “Put down that pistol.” 

“The pistol is hurting nobody at present.” 

“ Do you refuse to put it down ? You are foolish, 
since we are six to three, no, two, for the nigger 
does not count.” 

“ He counts with us,” put in Will, with a friendly 
glance toward Roko. “ He belongs on my uncle’s 
farm.” 

“Who is your uncle?” 

“Mr. Martin Nelson.” 

“ Ah, you are cousins ! ” cried Hendrik Kneip. 
“ Then you must be as bad as he ! ” And he 
pointed to Dave. 

“None of us are cattle thieves ! ” burst out Dave, 
losing his temper for once. “If these other men 
here knew your true character, I doubt if they 
would have anything to do with you.” 

At this outburst Kneip grew livid, and leaped for- 
ward as if to strike Dave to the ground. But up 








INTO A DUTCH PRISON PEN 


241 


came the pistol barrel and he dropped back in a 
hurry. 

But Dave’s movement was a fatal one, for on the 
instant two of the Boers ran up behind him and 
threw him down, while two others attacked Will. 
The enemy likewise sought to attack Roko, but the 
wily Kafir had mysteriously disappeared. 

With six against two the outcome of the struggle 
is easy to guess. Although both boys succeeded in 
knocking down one each of their assailants, they 
were no match for the others. Will received a 
cruel kick in the side which deprived him of his 
wind, and Dave was caught by the throat and held 
until he turned almost black and blue in the face. 
Then, after both had been well kicked and pounded, 
they were thrown on their backs and held there 
while their hands were bound tightly together. 

“Now get up!” commanded Hansa Worll. 
“ And mind how you behave yourselves, or it will 
be the worse for you. We know how to treat the 
English curs, and to my mind an American is no 
better, seeing as he has the same blood.” 

“ What are you going to do with us ? ” demanded 
Will, as he arose, panting for breath. 

“You will see soon enough. Forward march! 


242 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


Pradik, lead the way to where the horses were 
left.” 

At once the sturdy Boer addressed did as com- 
manded, and the whole party began to move up 
the river in the direction of Culpoort, several keep- 
ing in front of the boys and the others behind. It 
may be as well to add that both Will and Dave 
were relieved of all of the weapons which had been 
left to them, the Dutchmen allowing them to keep 
nothing, not even a penknife the English lad 
possessed. 

On the way a low but earnest conversation took 
place between Hendrik Kneip and Hansa Worll, 
but what was said was not intelligible to Dave. 
But the youth rightfully guessed that Kneip was 
plotting to “give it to the Yankee boy good,” as 
he expressed it. 

Culpoort is but a small village used chiefly as 
a trading post by wandering Dutch herdsmen. It 
is located beneath the cliff of a rough kopje over- 
looking a branch of the Olifants River. At one 
end of the village is a cattle kraal with a stone 
and wood shed adjoining. The kraal was now 
empty, but around the shed stalked several Dutch 
soldiers, as if on guard duty. 


INTO A DUTCH PRISON PEN 


243 


“ Some sort of a prison pen,” muttered Will. 
“If they put us — ” 

“Hold your mouth ! ” interrupted Worll, in Cape 
Dutch. “If I hear any talk after this, you shall 
go without both dinner and supper.” 

Without further words Dave and Will were 
marched to the shed. The soldier at the door was 
told to unbar the barrier, and did so. Then the 
boys were pushed inside, the door was slammed 
shut and fastened, and both found themselves close 
prisoners in the dark. 


CHAPTER XXVI 


OPENING BATTLES OF THE WAR 

“ I fancy we are in for it now,” said Will, with 
something like a groan. “ Those Boers — ” 

“ Hush, Will, not so loud,” whispered Dave. 
“ Remember what he said about dinner and supper. 
I don’t want to get cut off, for I’m as hungry as 
a grizzly bear.” 

“ Do you think they would dare to starve us ? ” 
demanded the English lad. 

“ As they have the might they will dare do every- 
thing — especially as one of the crowd is my per- 
sonal enemy. I wonder what became of Roko ? ” 

“ I don’t know. If he got away, I hope he puts 
our folks on our track. I don’t 'want to remain 
a prisoner here for any length of time.” 

“Sure an’ neither do I,” came in a rich Irish 
brogue. “ Thim Dutch are afther playin’ a high 
hand wid us, an’ that’s the thrutli.” 

“ Paddy McCall ! ” cried Will, recognizing a 
244 


OPENING BATTLES OF THE WAR 


245 


miner from Johannesburg. “What in the world 
brings you to this pen ? ” 

44 Sure an’ nothin’ in the wurruld but thim cut- 
throats ay Dooehmen,” replied the Irish miner. 
44 It’s meself as was afther mindin’ me own busi- 
ness whin they comes afther me an’ arrists me fer 
being a spy. 4 Sure,’ sez I, 4 an’ who am I spyin’ 
on,’ sez I. ‘Find out fer yerself,’ sez the Dooeh- 
man, an’ claps me in his wagon an’ carts me to 
here, an’ me doin’ nothin’ at all but a-listenin’ to 
how they was planin’ to git all ay the Uitlander 
out av Pretoria an’ Johannesburg, an’ the rist av 
the places. If a mon can’t be a-listenin’ to phat’s 
being sed in his hearin’, phat’s his ears med for, 
answer me that now ? ” 

44 Shut up in dare ! ” bawled a sturdy Dutch voice. 
44 Does you vonts to go midowit your tinner ? ” 

44 Are you alone here, McCall ? ” asked Will, 
in a low voice. 

44 1 am that, barrin’ yerselves. An’ who is this 
with ye?” questioned the Irishman. 

Dave was speedily introduced, and sitting down 
in a corner of the dark shed each told his story. 
What the miner had to relate was full of interest 
to both boys. 


246 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“Matthers have reached a high pass,” he said. 
“ The Dooch are afraid ay every Uitlander, an’ 
have given notice that ye must eyther give up yer 
arms and be under patrol to kape the peace or 
else git out av the counthry. A good many av 
the folks won’t go on parole, as they call it, an’ 
they do be gittin’ out av Pretoria an’ Johannesburg 
as quick as they can. Down to Johannesburg the 
rig’lar train couldn’t carry all av thim, an’ a crowd 
wint off in coal cars an’ baggage coaches. It was a 
terrible sight to see the folks wid their bags an’ boxes 
an’ their wives and childer an’ little babies.” 

“ Can you tell me anything of my folks ? ” asked 
Will, with increasing anxiety, for it was swiftly 
being brought home to him what a terrible thing 
this war was really going to prove. 

“ I can’t tell ye much, Master Nelson. The last 
I see av yer fayther he was at the Police Court in 
Johannesburg, protestin’ agin some roughs who 
had broken into his office an’ robbed his safe av 
some money an’ miida’ certificates. These are har- 
vest times fer rascals, yer know.” 

“ Yes, the rascals on both sides will pocket all 
they can out of this,” put in Dave. “ I hope 
there wasn’t much stolen.” 


OPENING BATTLES OF THE WAR 


247 


“ I can’t say as to that. I know yer uncle was 
a-havin’ a hot time av it wid the magistrate. Some 
av the Doochmen in the crowd was a-yellin’ at Mr. 
Nelson that it served him right, as the English had 
brought on th’ war,” concluded the Irish miner. 

He had never met Dave’s father, and knew 
nothing of what was going on in the farming 
territory surrounding Pretoria and Johannesburg. 
But he had heard of the attack on the armored 
train near Maf eking, and said that the Dutch Boers 
hailed it as a great victory. He added that he had 
heard the Dutch were rising everywhere, and that 
all boys over fourteen and men under sixty were 
being drafted into the service. 

“If that is true, it will give General Joubert and 
the other leaders an army of sixty thousand men,” 
said Will. “ Our forces are bound to suffer greatly 
until the reenforcements can arrive.” 

Slowly the day wore away. The boys had ex- 
pected a visit from Worll and Hendrik Kneip, but 
none came, for the reason that these men had been 
called away from Culpoort. No one came in but a 
guard with their meals, scanty affairs of the coarsest 
kind of food, in which mealies, made into a sort of 
corn mush, predominated. 


248 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


The shed was alive with vermin, and the night 
was one filled with discomfort. Once the boys 
thought to escape, but McCall held them back. 

“ That Doochman outside will blow yer head off 
wid his gun,” he said. “ Betther stay here a bit,” 
and the lads concluded to take his advice. And so 
not only the next day slipped by, but also a number 
of others — a dreary time which Dave and Will 
never forgot. 

During those days spent in the Dutch prison pen 
history, so far as it concerned the war, was being 
made with great rapidity. The Dutch generals 
knew that they must make the most of the time 
left before England could send reenforcements, and 
so they did all in their power to push the war out of 
the Transvaal and the Orange Free State into Natal, 
the Cape Colony, and Bechuanaland, while holding 
their own along the Limpopo River in the north. 

As before mentioned, the Boers had succeeded in 
occupying Newcastle. But the British gave ground 
slowly, and on the 18th of October there occurred 
a skirmish between the outposts on both sides near 
Ladysmith, and also another brush near Glencoe, 
in which over twenty soldiers on either side were 
killed or wounded. This was followed by a day of 


OPENING BATTLES OF THE WAR 


249 


comparative quiet, and then came the battle of 
Glencoe Camp, or Dundee, as some commanders 
have designated it. 

In this contest a force of nine thousand Boers was 
seen to be advancing upon the town, when the 
British First Leicester, with the Thirteenth Field 
Battery, were ordered to stop them, and soon the 
artillery upon both sides opened. The Dutch guns 
were poorly managed, and the British silenced the 
battery at a distance of two thousand yards, using 
fifteen-pounders for the purpose. By this time the 
Second Dublin Fusiliers and others had gained the 
battle-field, and soon a brilliant charge up a steep 
hill caused the Boers to retreat from the kopje. 
But the losses on both sides were heavy, and the 
English general, Sir W. Penn Symons, was mor- 
tally wounded. 

The hill had been gained, but the Boer force out- 
numbered the British by several thousands, and 
after harassing the latter for two days a desperate 
charge was made by the Dutch, under General 
Joubert in person, and General Yule, who had re- 
placed Sir Symons, was slowly forced to retire to a 
safer position, and soon the whole English army 
in that section was concentrated at Ladysmith. 


250 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


Elated over their success in forcing the British I 
back, the Boers gathered together more commandoes I 
than ever, and on the morning of October 30 
began to shell the town with their heaviest guns, I 
which had been brought through the mountain 1 
passes by mule and ox teams eighteen and twenty I 
strong. The feeling of war was now at its height i 
among the Dutch, and every man was eager to j 
have his share in “ hurling the redcoats from the 
face of the earth,” as they expressed it in their own 
tongue. Many predicted that in less than two i 
months the whole of South Africa would arise and 
unite in one grand Free Republic, with the capital 
at either Pretoria or Bloemfontein. 

To combat the attack by heavy guns, General 
White took out from Ladysmith a brigade of 
mounted troops, two brigades of infantry, a large 
number of the Royal Artillery, and likewise the Natal 
Field Battery. His force included an Irish and a 
Gloucester command. At first it seemed easy to 
clear the way, and the Boers evacuated the posi- 
tion they had held in front. But then it was found 
that first one British flank and then another was being- 
attacked with an unexpected heavy force, and with 
guns which were now skilfully managed, and it was 


OPENING BATTLES OF THE WAR 


251 


decided to withdraw into the city. But the Irish 
and Gloucester battalions just mentioned, along with 
some artillerymen, were caught on a small hill and 
left to themselves. Here they fought desperately 
through the night and until the afternoon of the 
next day, when, being out of ammunition, they had 
to surrender, and hundreds of them were made 
prisoners, while hundreds of others had either been 
killed or wounded. This awful disaster was totally 
unlooked for, and cast a gloom not alone over the 
British in Africa, but also over London and the 
whole of England and Ireland. The soldiers of 
the queen had done their best, but an enemy 
superior in numbers and one knowing the lay .of the 
land perfectly had been too much for them. Imme- 
diately after this first battle of Ladysmith the Boers 
began preparations to surround the town, the rail- 
road communications to Durban were cut, and 
Ladysmith was virtually put in a state of siege. 

While these operations were going on in the east, 
the Boer forces in other districts were not idle. At 
Spruitfontein, south of Kimberley, another armored 
train was attacked, but the Dutch were repulsed 
with a loss of five killed and many wounded, while 
the British suffered but one man wounded. This 


252 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


was followed by a sortie from Kimberley, in which 
the Boers were driven from an intrenched position 
at Riverton Road Station. At the same time a 
portion of the Boer army began to concentrate near 
Mafeking, in Bechuanaland on the Transvaal border, 
and that town was also put in a state of siege. 

England now began to awake to the fact that if 
the war in South Africa was to be won, reenforce- 
ments must be sent to the front immediately, and 
as soon as possible it was arranged to place in the 
field an army whose total should reach over two 
hundred and fifty thousand men. These soldiers 
came not alone from England, Ireland, and Scotland, 
but also from Canada, Australia, India, and other 
colonies. They were made up largely from the 
Reserves, but there were likewise many thousands 
of volunteers. 

Following the besieging of Ladysmith, Kimberley, 
and Mafeking, the Boers, under Piet Cronje, the 
veteran Dutch commander’s son, attacked the last- 
named place, but were repulsed with a severe loss, 
including that of the daring young commander. 
This was on the 7th of November, and on the 9th 
the Boers attacked Ladysmith again, but small 
damage was done. Yet the ladies and children 


OPENING BATTLES OF THE WAR 


253 


in the town were terror-stricken because of the 
heavy firing. 

The war was now on in deadly earnest, and less 
than a week later a British armored train was shelled 
and derailed near Chieveley, and twenty-two soldiers 
were killed or wounded and sixty-three taken pris- 
oners. The Boers followed this up by destroying 
the bridge over the Tugela River, and by an attack 
on Estcourt, where, however, they were repulsed. 
At the same time a small Dutch commando marched 
to Ivuruman and brought on a number of skirmishes 
lasting six days. 


CHAPTER XXVII 


A FIGHT AND AN ESCAPE 

“ Dave, I’m getting awfully tired of this prison 
life.” 

“ So am I, Will, but what are we to do? The 
guard is as strict as ever, and I have no desire to 
run the risk of being shot by trying to break away.” 

The words were spoken on a dull, rainy morn- 
ing immediately after the cousins had disposed 
of the scant breakfast Nuttstein, the door guard, 
had brought to them. The food was so coarse they 
could scarcely swallow.it, and the water which went 
with the bread and meat was foul smelling to the 
last degree. 

The Irish miner had been taken away, and now 
their only companions were several Hottentots who 
had gotten intoxicated on “ Cape smoke ” as it 
is called, and raised a disturbance in the general 
store at Culpoort. These Hottentots were filthy in 
both appearance and manners, and the boys refused 
to have anything to do with them, compelling them 
254 




A FIGHT AND AN ESCAPE 


255 


to remain at one end of tlie shed while they re- 
mained at the other. Once one of the Hottentots 
had quarrelled with Will, but the English lad 
floored him instantly,' and after that the youths 
were not troubled. 

From outside but scant news of the war drifted 
in, yet the boys heard enough to cause them much 
anxiety. They heard that many of the English 
had abandoned their farms and the mines and were 
hurrying to cities in Natal and the Cape Colony, 
and that the Dutch Boers were making free with 
the property thus left behind. 

“ I won’t care so much about the property,” said 
Will. “ But I do hope that father and mother 
and little Alice are safe.” 

“ I don’t believe father will leave his farm,” an- 
swered Dave. “ He is an American, and they will 
not dare to touch him, for he can appeal to our 
consul for aid, if necessary.” . 

During the afternoon, much to Dave’s surprise, 
Hendrik Kneip came in to see him. The Dutch- 
man smiled grimly when he saw how illy the youth 
was faring. 

“ I see you vos stay here,” he said sarcastically. 
“ I dink you like heem, hey ? ” 


256 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“ Kneip, I think when this trouble is over, you 
and the others will suffer for keeping us here,” an- 
swered Dave, stoutly. “ Remember, we have done 
no wrong.” 

“ Huh ! How you vos dalk, ennahow ! Suffer ? 
Who vill make us suffer, answer me dot? Yen 
der var ist ofer der Englees vill pe so padly licked 
da vill go home und stay dare an’ der Boers vill 
have all to say.” 

“ 1 am not an Englishman, I am an American.” 

“You plotted to do harm — to burn down der 
voods und der down — Worll can brove dot, und so 
kin der udders. You ton’t dalk to me ! ” And 
Kneip shook his fist in Dave’s face. 

“ We are not even allowed to send word to our 
folks,” put in Will. “That isn’t fair, and you and 
the others know it.” 

“You vould only write to do us harm,” was the 
sullen answer. “I know Dafe Nelson. He is von 
schneak ! ” 

“ I am no sneak, Hendrik Kneip. But I know 
what you are, and why you had to leave Texas. 
You shot Pepper, and — ” 

“ Hold your mouth ! ” yelled Kneip in Dutch. 
“ Of you speak more, I vos tvist your neck off ! ” 


A FIGHT AND AN ESCAPE 


257 


“I am only telling the truth.” 

“ I tell you to pe sthill ! ” roared Ivneip. “ I vill 
not listen to you ! ” And shaking his fist at Dave 
again, he turned and left the prison pen as quickly 
as he had entered it. 

“ He is boiling mad ! ” exclaimed Will, after the 
door had slammed shut and been barred. “ He will 
try to get square if he can. ” 

Will was right, Hendrik Kneip was in a great 
rage, and when a man gets that way he is apt to 
forget himself entirely. As will he remembered, 
he did not know how seriously he had wounded 
Pepper on that memorable night when he had tried 
to poison the horses on Martin Nelson’s ranch. 
He had a great fear that the cattle man might be 
dead, and that there might be papers out to extra- 
dite him to Texas for trial. He had told nobody 
where he was going, and to run across Dave in 
the Transvaal had been very much of a shock. 

“ I must remove him from my path,” he thought, 
after leaving the prison pen. “It is not safe to 
have him around, now that we have met. If only 
he would join the English army, and be shot down! 
But he is an American, and I don’t believe he will 
go into the war.” 


s 


258 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


That afternoon, for the first time in over a week, 
Will and Dave were allowed a little fresh air. 
Chained together like a pair of slaves, the guard 
marched them out of the shed, and took them for 
a short walk around the kopje back of Culpoort. 
'v The rain had stopped, but it was still raw. The 
boys enjoyed the fresh air not a little. 

’ As they walked along, Will espied several men 
on horseback. They were Kneip, Worll, and the 
Bofir called Pradik, and they were leading several 
horses by the halter. Among the animals, Will 
recognized his own steed and that belonging to 
his cousin. 

“ Our horses ! ” he cried. “ Look, Dave ! ” 

“You are right!” ejaculated Dave. “I wonder 
what they are going to do with them ? ” 

He tried to question the guard, but the Boer 
refused to talk, and commanded* them to be silent. 
Soon Kneip and the others passed out of sight, 
and the boys were marched back to the pen. 

“ I believe those Dutchmen are going to appro- 
priate those horses,” said Dave. “ Kneip isn’t any 
too good for such work.” 

The night that followed was one the boys never 
forgot. The Hottentots quarrelled among them- 


A FIGHT, AND AN ESCAPE 


259 


selves, and one almost killed another, with a stone 
he dug up from the ground flooring of the shed. 
In the midst of the wrangle, two of the guards 
came in and fired on the blacks, wounding one in 
the shoulder and the other in the back. The 
excitement was intense, and for several minutes 
the boys thought that they, too, would be shot 
down. 

“ We may as well try to escape,” whispered Dave. 
“I’m not going to stay here to be shot down in 
cold blood.” 

“ Right you are,” answered Will. u Come on ! ” 
And with a single bound he gained the doorway 
and ran outside, his cousin at his heels. 

They knew not where to go, nor did they care 
where they went, so long as their escape might 
prove successful. In front of the prison pen was 
a small stretch of veldt, while to the left was the 
river and the wood. They turned for the wood, 
running as they had never run before, with several 
Boer soldiers following. 

“ Stop ! stop ! ” came the order, in Cape Dutch, 
but instead of paying attention, they tried to run 
the faster. Then three gunshots rang out, and 
two bullets sang over their heads, while the third 


260 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


grazed Will’s shoulder, leaving an ugly scratch 
behind it. 

“You are struck?” queried Dave, as he saw 
his cousin stagger to one side. 

“ It’s only a flea-bite,” panted Will. “ Hurry ! 
the woods, or we are lost ! ” 

There was no need for urging, for both were 
leaping forward at topmost speed. Luckily, on 
returning to the prison from their walk, their 
chains had been entirely removed, so they were 
free to use their limbs for all they were worth. 

Between the prison and. the wood was a narrow 
ditch, now concealed by the falling shades of night. 
Into this ditch plunged Will, with Dave almost 
on top of him. 

“Great Csesar ! ” groaned Dave. “Will, are you 
— you hurt ? ” 

“No, but I — I — am mos — most winded!” 
gasped his cousin. 

With nervous haste the two lads scrambled up 
and out of the ditch. But now the foremost of 
the Boers was close at hand, and, with a quick 
leap, he caught Will by the arm, and called upon 
him once more to stop. 

“ Let go ! ” exclaimed Will, and tried to free 


A FIGHT AND AN ESCAPE 


261 


himself. At the same instant Dave hit the Boer 
a stinging blow on the chin, which sent the soldier 
staggering backward several paces. 

“ You — you rats of Englees ! ” he spluttered, and 
let go his hold. “I will shoot you!” And once 
more he aimed his gun and pulled the trigger, but 
his aim was wild, and the bullet merely clipped 
through the branches of the trees at the edge of 
the wood. 

The alarm had now become general, and a loud 
voice was calling in Dutch upon a detachment of 
soldiery to pursue the flying prisoners. At the 
same time, the Hottentots endeavored to escape 
from the prison pen, and this brought on a fierce 
tussle directly in front of the building, in which 
one black was killed, and a Dutch guard w r as 
seriously wounded. 

Reaching the outskirts of the forest, Dave and 
Will lost no time in plunging into the densest 
thicket they could find. Fortunately, the hunt- 
ing expedition had acquainted them somewhat with 
the make-up of a South African jungle, and they 
proceeded into the pitch-black darkness without 
serious difficulty. They did not come to a halt 
until a good hundred yards had been passed. 


262 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


Then, reaching a fallen tree thickly overgrown 
with vines, they crawled down beside it, and be- 
came as silent as two statues. 

For a while, only the cries of the birds and the 
occasional chatter of a monkey reached their ears, I 
but at last they heard a murmur of voices and the 
sounds of two men forcing their way through the ! 
thickets. 

“ They came this way — I can tell by the vines,” ] 
said one man, in Cape Dutch. “Dogs, but they 
must be cute to get on so fast ! ” 

“That Dave Nelson is a slippery one,” replied 
the second man, and Dave recognized Hendrik 
Kneip’s voice. “I would like to catch him alone.” 

“ Alone ? ” questioned the other Dutchman. 

“Yes, alone. ’Tis a long account he must settle 
with me, the Nick’s own that he is ! ” 

So the talk ran on, until the pair were close to j 
the fallen log. Then the second man came to a 
halt, as if in perplexity. 

“ The vines have come to an end,” he growled. 

“ Did they go this way or that, who can tell ? Ah, ! 
those Englees, they are like eel-fish. You go that 
way, Hendrik, and I will go this. If you see them, 
shout.” 


A FIGHT AND AN ESCAPE 


268 


“ I will,” answered Hendrik Kneip, and at once 
the two separated, the second Boer disappearing 
almost instantly. 

Kneip was slower in his movements, evidently 
not liking the task before him. He peered for- 
ward in the gloom, and held his gun ready for 
use at an instant’s notice. He would have liked 
only too well to have laid Dave low, but he had 
no desire to run his own head into danger. 

Step by step he came closer to the fallen tree, 
and there stopped to listen to the sounds of his 
companion’s footsteps as they faded away in the 
distance. Then he started to walk around the 
tree, thus coming to the very spot where Will and 
Dave lay concealed. 


CHAPTER XXVIII 


THE DESERTED HOMESTEAD 

Both boys felt that if discovered by Hendrik 
Kneip their chance of ultimate escape would be 
very slim. They had run until tired out, and 
each of the men who had followed them was fully 
armed, and ready to shoot them down at the slight- 
est provocation. 

Slowly Kneip came closer, until he was so near 
to Dave that the youth could have put out his 
hand and caught the Dutchman by the foot. The 
boy tried to hold his breath, but his heart thumped 
so madly that this was an impossibility. 

“There they go!” The cry came from the 
man who had accompanied Hendrik Kneip to the 
locality. He had roused up some wild animal, 
and, catching but a dim view of the game, mistook 
it for one of the lads speeding along. His gun 
spoke up and he began to run, and as soon as he 
could, Hendrik Kneip made after him. 

Both boys breathed long sighs of relief as they 
264 


THE DESERTED HOMESTEAD 


265 


heard the Dutchmen’s footsteps receding in the 
distance. Yet it was a long while before either 
spoke or moved. 

“ Say, but that was a close shave, eh ? ” came 
from Dave, at last. “ I thought he had us for 
certain.” 

“Well, ‘a miss is as good as a mile,’ they say,” 
returned his cousin. “Do you imagine they will 
come back this way ? ” 

“ There is no telling. Most likely they will, 
since we are between the town and the direction 
they have taken.” 

“ Then we had better seek another location with- 
out delay.” 

“ Right you are. I wonder what started that 
Boer off? He said something about 4 There they 

go!”’ 

“ I’m sure I can’t guess. But come on ; the 
farther we get away from this place the better 
off we will be.” 

On went the two lads, but taking good care that 
they should not be surprised by the enemy. Their 
course was still into the forest, and presently they 
found themselves in a veritable jungle, from which 
extrication appeared impossible. Here they roused 


266 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


up a colony of monkeys, and the shrieking and 
chattering thus brought on was deafening. To 
escape the monkeys they crawled to the top of a 
small* kopje close at hand, and here made them- 
selves as comfortable as possible until daylight. 

It was not until after seven o’clock that the 
sun shone down upon the spot where they lay 
sleeping and aroused them, for it had been late 
when both had finally dropped off into the land 
of slumber, and each was exhausted. Will was the 
first to get up, and he allowed Dave to lie a bit 
longer. “ No use to rouse him when there is 
next to nothing to do,” he muttered disconso- 
lately. 

“Now what?” was Dave’s first question, on 
opening his eyes. “ See anything of the enemy ? ” 

“ No.” 

“ Are we in sight of the town ? ” 

“No.” 

There was a brief silence, and both boys climbed 
into a tree growing at the top of the kopje, to gain 
a better view of their surroundings. 

Far off to the southward they made out the glint 
of a winding stream of water, while to the westward 
was an immense veldt, with here and there a patch 


THE DESERTED HOMESTEAD 


267 


of trees and bushes, like some oasis in a desert. 
Otherwise they could see little but forest and hills,* 

“Not very encouraging,” remarked Will. “I’m 
hungry, too.” 

“ So am I, Will ; but what we are to have for 
breakfast I don’t know.” 

“And we haven’t anything in the shape of a 
weapon. Supposing some wild beast takes it into 
his head to attack us ? ” And the English lad could 
not help but shiver. 

“ Let us arm^ ourselves with clubs, they will be 
better than nothing,” returned Dave, gravely, and 
this they did as soon as they reached the ground. 

They felt that the only course for them to pursue 
was to the southward, whence lay their homes, still 
many miles off. So they struck out for the river 
which they had noted among the trees. 

“ If only we can find some native village there, 
we may get something to eat,” remarked Will, as 
they pushed on, faint and hungry. So far they had 
looked in vain for wild berries, fruit, or birds’ eggs, 
with which to stay the craving of their stomachs. 
A little later they came to a vley where there was a 
spring that sent a tiny watercourse on its way to 
the river, a mile beyond. 


268 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


They were just getting a drink, when a noise in 
the bushes startled them, and both looked up in time 
to behold a short and exceedingly greasy-looking 
Hottentot gazing at them curiously. The native 
was about to run off, when Will called to him to 
stop. 

“ What do the English boys want of me ? ” asked 
the native, in the peculiar dialect employed by these 
people in addressing foreigners. 

“We want to know where we are ?” answered Will, 
promptly. “ We’ve been out and got lost.” 

“ You are in the Lobalo jungle,” answered the 
Hottentot. 

“ And what is the nearest village ? ” 

“ Alcalor,” and the Hottentot pointed with his 
outstretched hand. 

“ Are any of the Dutch soldiers at Alcalor ? ” put 
in Dave, who could understand something of what 
was said. 

At this the native smiled grimly and shook his 
head. “No soldiers now. All commandoes go to 
where the sun sets — to Mafeking.” 

“Mafeking!” cried Will. “That’s an English 
town. I wonder if they are carrying the war as far 
as that ? ” 


THE DESERTED HOMESTEAD 269 

“ War everywhere now,” said the native, frowning. 
“ Big fight at Colenso and Ladysmith, and big fight 
at Kimberley, too. All English be killed soon.” 

“You can’t mean that!” ejaculated Will. “Do 
you hear what he says, Dave ? ” 

“I do ; and if he tells the truth, the Boers must be 
forcing the war with all speed. But he may have 
only the Dutch side of the story.” 

“Will you take us down to Alcalor ? ” went on 
the English lad. “ We must have something to eat. 
We are nearly starved.” 

“ But we don’t want to meet any Dutch soldiers, 
understand that,” interposed Dave, hastily. “ I’ve 
been imprisoned once for nothing ; I don’t wish such 
a thing to happen again.” 

A few words more followed, and Shantini — for 
such was the Hottentot’s name — agreed to show 
them into Alcalor and see to it that they obtained 
all they needed to eat and to drink. For this he was 
promised a rich reward if he would come down to 
either of the Nelson homesteads to receive it. 

A day later found them in the village, which was 
almost deserted, for many of the Hottentots had 
become camp followers of the Boers, while others 
were off to see what they could pick up on the farms 


^270 BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 

which the English had left. Shantini took them to 
his own hut, which was occupied by himself, his 
wife, and his nine children. The hut was a vile- 
smelling place, and, at the risk of discovery by some 
passing Boer, the boys elected to take the meal fur- 
nished them on the outside. 

While they were eating, both lads questioned the 
Hottentot closely concerning the progress of the 
war, but could get little from the native excepting 
in a general way. It "as plain to see that the Boers 
had frightened the Hottentots and Kafirs as much 
as possible, so as to prevent an uprising of the 
natives. 

“ They say if one of us helps the English they 
will butcher us like so many sheep,” said Shantini, 
with a shudder. “ Only two days ago one of my 
friends was shot as a spy, because he took to an Irish- 
man a horse that belonged to him.” 

Shantini was plainly anxious to get rid of them as 
speedily as possible, and not wishing to get the Hot- 
tentot into trouble, they moved on as soon as the 
meal was finished, each armed with a club and a 
knife, and carrying a small quantity of biltong and 
cakes made of mealies, tied up in a strip of limbo, 
a cotton stuff much used in this section. The Hot- 


271 


THE DESERTED HOMESTEAD 

tentot took them as far as the, outskirts of the village, 
and th^re left them, wishing them the best of good 
luck. 

It was now ten o’clock, and by eleven the sun was 
so powerful the lads were glad enough to seek the 
shelter of a neighboring kopje and rest. On one 
side of the hill they found a fair-sized cav6, its walls 
rudely decorated with fantastic pictures placed there 
by the savage Bushmen years before. Here they 
rested, looked at the pictm ;s, and dis ;ussed the 
situation. 

“ I move we make the most of our travelling in the 
dark,” said Will. “If we don’t, the Boers will be sure 
to gobble us before we get anywhere near home.” 

“ I am willing — but we must keep our eyes open 
for wild animals, or we’ll be gobbled up in even 
worse fashion.” Dave kicked his foot against the 
rocks meditatively. “ What troubles me is how 
will we find things when we do get home ? ” 

At this Will heaved a sigh. “ Ah, that remains 
to be seen, Dave. But 1 am afraid — ” A lump 
arose in his throat and he could not finish. 

“We know well enough how we have been treated. 
Heaven alone knows how your folks and my father 
have suffered,” went on Dave. 


272 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“But will they dare — ” 

“ They may dare to do anything while this war 
is on. You must not forget that the Dutch hate 
and despise nearly all Englishmen.” 

Late in the afternoon they continued their jour- 
ney, along a trail which had been mentioned to 
them, and to this trail they stuck for two days. 
They were now but a few miles from Pretoria, and 
presently the surroundings began to grow familiar. 

“ Shall we go into the city or home first ? ” said 
Will. 

“ Home, by all means ! ” cried Dave. “ I can 
hardly wait to get there.” 

The youth had scarcely finished when they heard 
the steady hoof-strokes of a number of horses com- 
ing toward them. Instantly they hid in the bushes 
beside the road. The sounds came closer, until a 
body of Boers, about fifty in number, swept by them. 
Each was armed with a rifle and had an ammuni- 
tion belt strapped over his shoulder. 

“A company of sharpshooters, and bound for 
the front, I’ll wager a pound ! ” cried Dave, when 
they were gone, and he was right, and it was this 
same company that aided in keeping Mafeking so 
long in a state of siege. Each man in the com- 


THE DESERTED HOMESTEAD 


273 


mando was an experienced hunter and could bring 
down a running springbok at a distance of four 
hundred yards. 

The Boers gone, the two lads went on again. 
The nearest of the two homesteads was that be- 
longing to Mr. Martin Nelson, and thither they 
directed their steps, and soon came within sight 
of the scherin, or mud fence, which surrounded the 
cattle kraal. At a distance stood the outbuildings, 
and farther on the house itself, all dark and appar- 
ently deserted. 

“ Gone ! ” burst from Dave’s lips, and he could 
scarcely hold back the tears. He had hoped almost 
against hope to find his father there, or at least 
some faithful servant. But not even a dog came 
forward to greet him as he passed through the 
cattle and ostrich yards and up toward the home- 
stead. 

“ I wonder if father has taken all of our things 
away?” he said huskily. 

“ You’ll soon know,” replied Will. He clutched 
his cousin’s arm. “Look! who is that?” 

He pointed to a side window of the house. Dave 
gazed in the direction and saw a form about to leap 
from the opening to the ground. The man was a 


274 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


Boer, and in his arms he carried a bundle done up 
in a bed sheet. 

“ That man is a thief, and I know it,” cried 
Dave. “ Hi, stop ! ” he yelled, and ran forward 
at full speed, with Will at his heels. Soon they 
reached the midnight intruder, and Dave caught 
him by the arm. The man struggled to get away, 
but the two boys overpowered him, threw him flat 
on his back, and made him their prisoner. 


CHAPTER XXIX 


NEWS THAT ROKO BROUGHT 

“ Let me go ! ” cried the captured man, in Cape 
Dutch. 44 Let me go, you dogs of English ! How 
dare you touch me, an honest Boer ! ” 

44 Honest ! ” burst out Dave ; 44 I don’t believe 
you are very honest. If so, what are you doing 
here?” 

“ This is the home of a — a friend of mine. I was 
getting something for him.” 

“You tell a falsehood — this is my home, and 
you are a sneak thief — one of the kind that is a 
disgrace to any nation. Will, what shall we do 
with him ? ” 

14 I’m sure I don’t know,” replied the English 
lad, gloomily. 44 If you make him a prisoner, what 
good will it do? We can’t appear against him in 
a Dutch court of justice, now.” 

44 1 don’t know about that. I don’t believe the 
government will countenance thieving, war or no 
war.” 


275 


276 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“Humph, you don’t know the Boers,” sniffed Will. 

“Yes I do, and the majority of them are as honest 
as the day is long. I’m going to tie him up.” 

The conversation was carried on in English, so 
that the Dutchman understood little or nothing 
of it. But when Dave procured a rope and tried 
to bind the man he began to struggle violently, and 
drawing a pistol, fired at them. 

The bullet lodged in the ground at Dave’s feet, 
and the next instant Will kicked the weapon from 
the rascal’s hand and fell upon him so heavily that 
the Dutchman was knocked half senseless. By the 
time he was recovering, the boys had his hands and 
feet tightly tied. 

A patter of footsteps was now heard, and from 
out of the darkness of the veldt trail there appeared 
a man and a well-grown boy, each armed with a 
gun. As the two came closer, Dave recognized the 
newcomers as Adolf Brucher, his nearest neighbor, 
and his son Karl. 

“ What goes on here ? ” demanded Brucher, as 
he aimed his gun at the party. Then he recognized 
Dave and uttered a cry of astonishment. “ What 
brought you back? Why did you not remain with 
your father?” he asked quickly. 



As THE TWO CAME CLOSER, 1>AVE RECOGNIZED THE NEWCOMERS. 

.Page 276 


















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NEWS THAT ROKO BROUGHT 


277 


“My father?” returned Dave. “I do not know 
where my father is. I have just got back from the 
north.” 

“ By the head of a lion ! ” roared the Dutchman. 
“Then you know nothing of the war?” 

“Yes, I know of the war, Oom Adolf,” was the 
bitter response. “ But I — I could not get home 
before. What has become of my father?” 

The Dutchman drew back and shrugged his 
shoulders. “Who can tell that?” he said. “He 
is gon',, just as the most of the English are gone, 
and to where I do not know. When the war began 
he said he might have to leave, to find you, and he 
asked me to look after his farm so far as I was able 
to do so — and this I have done. But who is this 
man on the ground ? ” 

“ One we caught coming out of yonder window. 
He has a bundle filled with our things.” 

“A thief! You son of unrighteousness! What 
have you to say for yourself? Do you not know 
the law ? Oom Paul says all thieves shall be shot. ” 

“No! no! It is a mistake!” cried the captured 
man, breaking down utterly. “ I was sent on an 
errand, and must have gotten into the wrong house. 
I am no thief.” 


278 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“ Who sent you on the errand? ” demanded Adolf 
Brucher. 

“It was a — a — an officer named Larson.” 

“ And to what house did he send you ? ” 

The man grew much confused and mentioned 
several names, all unknown to that locality. He 
hitd gotten on his feet and now Karl Brucher 
stepped forward to obtain a better view of 
him. 

“ I know him,” said the young Dutchman to his 
father. “He is Hans Vonstein, a good-for-nothing 
stage driver of Pretoria. More than likely he has 
his stage close at hand, and intended to loot the 
house from end to end.” 

“ Ha ! I see ! ” shouted Brucher, his wrath ris- 
ing swiftly, for a Dutch ‘Boer can get into a rage 
without half trying. “ I will serve you out, dog 
of a thief that you are ! ” He caught the man by 
the collar and shook him until his teeth fairly 
rattled. “ Oh, that I had a sjambok here, to lay 
open your marrow ! ” And he shook the man 
again. “ And I thought all was safe here, and went 
to bed to dream and to let you carry off my neigh- 
bor’s goods. Dog ! dog ! That for you ! and 
that ! and that ! ” His voice rose higher and 


NEWS THAT ROKO BROUGHT 


279 


higher, ending in a shriek, and each one was ac- 
companied by a blow on the head which in the 
end forced Hans Vonstein to his knees, where he 
remained begging for mercy. 

44 Don’t kill the man,” interposed Dave. 44 1 
suppose we had better have him arrested.” 

At this the Dutch farmer heaved a mountain- 
ous sigh. 44 You are perhaps right, David, my lad, 
but in these times one must take the law into 
one’s own hands. If he had come to rob me, it 
would have been different. But I promised to 
look after the farm for your father, who is an 
American, not an Englishman,” — this was said 
significantly and for Will’s benefit, — 44 and I shall 
do it so long as I am home, and Karl shall do it 
after I am gone to the front.” 

44 You do not know anything of my parents?” 
put in Will, somewhat coldly. 

44 1 know your mother and your little sister 
started for Durban shortly after the war broke out, 
and I think your father was to follow them — after 
he had found you. But if they got to Durban or 
not, who can tell? We have fought the British 
back steadily, and much fighting was done between 
Durban and Ladysmith, and now we have all of 


280 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


the inhabitants of Ladysmith, along with a portion 
of the British army, locked up in that town.” 

“Then Ladysmith is being besieged?” put in 
Dave. 

“Yes, and it is likely to fall into our possession 
at any moment,” added the Boer, proudly. “We 
shall teach the English • a sharp lesson before this 
unjust war is finished.” . . 

sneer arose to Will’s lips, but he wisely sup- 
pressed it. “ Then it may be that my folks are in 
the besieged town,” he said. 

“ It is not unlikely,” answered Adolf Brucher, 
indifferently. There was a marked contrast be- 
tween his treatment of Dave and his manner toward 
the English boy. 

“ Oh, I trust mother and Alice are safe ! ” mur- 
mured Will. “ And father, too ! ” 

“ What do you intend to do, now you have 
arrived here ? ” asked the Dutchman. 

I 

“ I don’t know yet. I must look around first, 
and see if I can’t find soitie trace of father.” 

“ Be careful of your movements, * — if you wish 
to avoid arrest. You are of English blood and 
will be closely watched.” 

“ Oh, father, I am sure Will will be all right,” 


NEWS THAT ROKO BROUGHT 


281 


put in Karl Brucher, more for Dave’s sake than 
for the lad mentioned. 

“ W e do not know — no Englishman is to be 
trusted during such times as these,” broke in the 
father, roughly. “We are doing all we dare, to 
stand up for the Americans, seeing as they are 
related to the Englishmen.” 

Adolf Brucher turned to Dave and invited the 
youth to accompany him to the Brucher homestead, 
where he might have a warm supper and a bed for 
the balance of the night. But Dave could not 
think of leaving Will, and so it was arranged that 
both boys should remain where they were, while 
the Bruchers marched off with the prisoner. 

As the door was nailed up, the two boys entered 
the homestead by the window, and then Dave found 
a match and lit a lamp. 

“ Nobody but that thief has been in here for some 
time,” said the American boy. “Don’t you notice 
the musty smell ? ” 

“ I do, Dave. Probably your father never came 
back after he went on a hunt for you — or for both 
o^ us.” ' ' 

Having let some fresh air into the rooms, the 
two boys sat down to rest and to talk over the 


282 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


situation. Both were utterly worn out, yet it was 
not until almost daylight when they retired, to 
sleep by fits and starts, and dream of all sorts of 
horrible things. Once Will dreamed that a heavy- 
set Dutch soldier was about to run little Alice 
through with a bayonet, and he set up such a moan- 
ing and groaning that Dave had to shake him vig- 
orously to get him out of the nightmare. 

“ It’s awful ! ” murmured the British lad. “ Oh, 
Dave, we must find my mother and sister — and 
our fathers, too ! ” 

“ I’m sure I am as anxious as you, Will,” re- 
sponded his cousin. “ But how shall we strike 
out?” 

When morning came it was raining in torrents, 
and neither stirred until about noon, when Dave 
prepared the best dinner which the house afforded, 
which was not saying much, since all of the live 
stock had been driven over to Brucher’s place, thus 
cutting off the supply of chicken meat, eggs, and 
milk. But there was a little potted meat in the 
pantry and plenty of vegetables, and flour from 
which to make bread, and with these things the 
boys were content. 

The day wore along drearily, and nightfall found 


NEWS THAT ROKO BROUGHT 


288 


it still raining as hard as ever. “There is no use 
in moving out in this storm,” said Dave. “We 
would simply be drowned out.” 

Will had to admit the truth of his cousin’s 
words, and heaved a sigh, for he had hoped to be 
on the search for his parents before nightfall. 

On the following day it still rained, and the boys 
knew not what to do. Both were sitting at the 
window gazing at the rush of waters down the 
veldt trail, when suddenly Dave gave a shout. 

« Roko f” 

He was right, the faithful Kafir was approaching 
on foot through the storm, looking very much like 
a drowned rat. As he came closer he recognized 
them, and his black face lit up with a smile. 

“ Roko werry glad to see um boys ag’in,” said 
the Kafir, as he paused at the doorstep to allow 
some of the water to drain from his sleek body. 
“ T’ink no see boys any more.” 

“ Where have you been, Roko ? ” questioned 
Dave, quickly. 

“Roko look for um master.” 

“ And did you find him ? ” 

“No find Dave’s fad’der — but find Will’s fadder, 
an’ Will’s fadder say um Dave’s fadder go long 


284 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


way off — to Mafeking. T’ink Dave at Mafeking 
maybe.” 

“ My father at Mafeking ! ” cried Dave. 

“ And where is my father ? ” put in Will, eagerly. 

“ Can’t tell dat just now. He go to Ladysmith 
wid yo’ mudder and ’ittle girl. Maybe mudder 
an’ ’ittle girl in Ladysmith. Fadder fight Boers, 
an’ me t’ink Boers capture him an’ put him in 
prison.” 

“ Then my father joined the British army ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“Hurrah for that!” shouted Will, and his face 
brightened greatly. “ But you say he’s a prisoner 
of war ? ” And his face fell again. 

“ T’ink he’s a prisoner — at Johannesburg — but 
no sure of dat. When he git ready to fight he 
tell me find you. Den fight, an’ many English 
soldiers git caught and carried away. Big fight 
down to Ladysmith all de time — big war all de 
time — fight an’ fight. Dutch or Englees all killed 
some day,” concluded the Kafir, and then lie came 
in to give the lads the details of what had hap- 
pened since he had separated from them. 


CHAPTER XXX 


MAGERSFONTEIN AND THE TUGELA RIVER 

At the opening of the war it had been the 
intention of the British commander to concentrate 
a strong army on the Orange River, at De Aar 
and the Orange River Station, for a straight 
attack, first upon Bloemfontein, and then upon 
Johannesburg and Pretoria. 

The unexpected resistance met with in the 
neighborhoods of Ladysmith, Kimberley, and Mafe- 
king led to a change of plans, and by the direction 
of Sir Redvers Buller, who had now come to the 
front to direct operations, the British force was 
divided, and while one column under General Buller 
marched forward to relieve Ladysmith, another, 
under Lord Methuen, pressed on in the direction 
of Kimberley. 

So far the Boers investing Kimberley had stuck 
close to that mining city, but as soon as it was 
heard that Lord Methuen was advancing, the Dutch 
marched southward and took up a strong position 


285 


286 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


on the series of kopjes extending from Spytsfontein 
to Magersfontein. An advance guard moved still 
farther on, to Belmont, and here the two armies 
came into battle on November 23, the British 
storming the enemy’s position with telling effect. 
The fighting was of the most desperate kind, and 
when the Boers at last fell back, the gallant soldiers 
marching under the Union Jack were too exhausted 
to follow them. 

Eager to continue their victory, the British moved 
on, the next day, to Enslin, seven miles away. It 
was supposed that the Boer commandoes in that 
vicinity numbered but a few hundred, but it was 
found that they were over two thousand strong, 
and that they had eight heavy guns. The fighting 
recommenced at dawn on the 25th, and once more 
the British stormed the kopjes the Dutch had forti- 
fied, and once again they forced the fighting farmers 
to fall back, but not until there had been a heavy 
slaughter on both sides, and not before scores of 
the British Naval Brigade had fallen to rise no 
more. 

It looked now as if Lord Methuen’s advance 
upon Kimberley would be nothing but a series of 
successes ; but the Boers were as bent upon victory 


MAGERSFONTEIN AND THE TUGELA RIVER 287 

as were their enemies, and as the British army 
continued to move forward, the Dutch rushed many 
more commandoes to the front, these armed bodies 
being secreted among the rocks overlooking the 
Modder River on both sides. Lord Methuen 
thought he had less than two thousand to oppose, 
while as a matter of fact the Dutch now numbered 
over ten thousand. 

No sooner had the first of the British troops 
gained the vicinity of the river, than an unexpected 
fire showed the force of the Boers, and for ten long, 
hot hours the battle waged furiously, with varying 
success. Again and again the British tried to 
cross the stream and were repulsed, but at last 
the Boers had to give ground, and in the end the 
victory remained with the soldiers of England, but 
at a cost of over five hundred killed and wounded. 

Forced from the Modder River, the Boers trekked 
northward during the night, and took up another 
strong position close to Magersfontein. As rapidly 
as possible the British column made after them, and 
on the night following communications were opened 
with Kimberley by means of searchlights. In seven 
days the soldiers of the queen had marched over fifty 
miles and fought three heavy battles, losing in these 


288 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


contests one man out of every twelve, including sev- 
eral well-known officers. Lord Methuen was himself 
slightly wounded. 

Rut while Lord Methuen was thus moving for- 
ward to success, something else happened which 
overthrew many of the plans of the British com- 
manders and, in the end, contributed largely to 
Methuen’s ultimate defeat. General Gatacre had 
been left at Molteno with about four thousand troops, 
to assist in guarding Methuen’s communications 
with De Aar and the Modder River, as well as to 
aid in General French’s advance on Bloemfontein, 
for a third column was now acting in the . field. 
General Gatacre made a long night march toward 
the Stormberg, and arriving there much exhausted, 
was surprised by the Boers and forced to retreat, 
leaving five hundred of his men behind as prison- 
ers, while another hundred were either killed or 
wounded. 

This reverse came on Sunday, December 10, and 
on that same day Lord Methuen began his attack on 
the Boer forces before Kimberley, which were com- 
manded by the elder Cronje, a veteran Dutch fighter 
of no mean military ability. Lord Methuen had not 
been reenforced as he had expected, yet he com- 






MAGERSFONTEIN AND THE TUGELA RIVER 289 


menced a splendid assault with his artillery on Sun- 
day, and on Monday the Highland Brigade, under 
Major General Wauchope, fought desperately for a 
position on the hills, followed by the Gordons, who 
came to the support just after noon. But the Boers 
were now fighting with all the skill and courage they 
could command, and the British were finally beaten 
back with the awful loss of over eight hundred 
officers and men, including General Wauchope, who 
was shot down early in the battle. Had not the 
Guard’s Brigade resisted a flank attack, the soldiers 
of the queen must have been utterly annihilated, for 
Dutch reenforcements were coming up on all sides. 

The battle of Magersfontein, as it has been called, 
was a severe blow to the British cause; yet an even 
worse one was to follow, in which the Boers were to 
show that they were no foe to be despised. Al- 
though these sons of the soil lacked much of military 
training, nearly every one was a crack shot, an ex- 
pert rider and mountain climber, and a man inured 
to untold hardships. 

Not many mile's to the south of Ladysmith flows 
the Tugela River, and here and near Colenso the 
Boers had intrenched themselves heavily, to await 
the coming of General Buller’s column, which ar- 


290 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


rived in the vicinity twenty-four thousand strong on 
the 15th of December. 

There were two fording places in the river, one at 
the iron bridge, and one farther westward, and Gen- 
eral Hildyard’s brigade was sent to the first-named 
ford and General Hart’s Irish brigade to the second, 
to try and force a passage to the opposite shore. This 
they did amid a perfect hailstorm of bullets and 
shells, fighting as only Tommy Atkins can fight 
when thoroughly aroused. 

But the passage of the river was a fatal one, for 
the Boer cannon, well placed and skilfully handled, 
were of much longer range than those the British 
had brought over the railroad and the rocky mountain 
trails, and as soon as the latter came within sight, 
they were opened upon with such precision that 
many of the horses went down in the traces and 
their drivers with them. In a short while the Brit- 
ish had lost ten guns abandoned and one destroyed 
by a shell, and then the Boers opened upon the 
defenceless columns of infantry and cavalry, cutting 
down the soldiers of the empire as with a scythe. 
Under such circumstances General B uller’s column 
was forced to fall back to the camp at Chieveley, the 
Boers refraining from following them. The loss 


MAGERSFONTEIN AND THE TUGELA EIVER 291 


to the Dutch was less than a hundred, while the loss 
to the English was over a thousand — -the largest 
since the war had started. Of course the Boers 
were much elated oyer their success, coming as it 
did directly after the victory at Magersfontein, and 
many predicted that England would soon call a truce 
and offer to compromise. At Pretoria it was boasted 
that no English soldier should ever again set foot in 
the Transvaal, and Bloemfontein, the capital of the 
Orange Free State, was also considered safe from 
capture. 

The news of the defeats of General Methuen and 
General Buffer reached Dave and Will while they 
were making a trip from Pretoria to Johannesburg. 
They had gone to Pretoria on the day following 
Roko’s arrival, to find all quiet in the capital city, 
excepting down around the race-course, which had 
been put into shape to receive some of the English 
prisoners, who now numbered nearly two thousand: 
Here the boys were hustled away in short order, a 
gruff Dutch captain telling them that if they did not 
go about their business he would place them under 
arrest. 

“ They haven’t any use for foreigners,” observed 
Will, as they strode off. 


292 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“They certainly haven’t any use for an English 
lad,” returned Dave, with a suggestive smile; “but, i 
Will, if they are going to bring a lot of soldier pris- } 
oners here, the war must be going badly for your 
side.” 

“Pooh, Dave, you don’t imagine they can whip 
us ? ” demanded his cousin. 

“ Certainly not — if England sends out a big 
enough army ; but they must be fighting with 
lots of pluck.” 

“ I dare say they are — since their homes are here ; 
but this war won’t last — take my word for it.” 

“ I think it will last a good bit longer than many 
suppose. Unless I am mistaken, the Boers will fight 1 
to the last ditch. They are sure that they are in 
the right and that God is with them.” 

“And we are sure they are wrong — and there you 
are.” 

“Yes, there you are, Will; but that doesn’t settle 
the matter.” 

“No; that must settle itself, if you’re going to 
put it that way.” The English lad looked at his 
American cousin questioningly. “ Dave Nelson, I 
believe you about half side with the Boers.” 

“I don’t deny it, Will, for they are fighting for 


MAGERSFONTEIN AND THE TUGELA RIVER 293 

what they consider their natural right — Liberty. 
You must remember that we Americans fought for 
the same thing during the Revolution. For myself, 
I am sorry this matter wasn’t patched up without an 
appeal to arms.” 

“ So am I, to tell the plain truth, for it has caused 
us no end of trouble all around. But this war was 
bound to come sooner or later.” 

“ There is another thing to consider. Even if 
the Boers are conquered, what then ? Unless Eng- 
land treats them with every consideration, they will 
rebel whenever they get the chance — at least, the 
hot-headed ones will.” 

u Oh, the government will fix that, Dave. But 
let us drop the subject. What are we to do next ? ” 

“ I don’t know, unless we go to Johannesburg and 
see if your father is a prisoner there. It’s pretty 
plain that they won’t give us any information in 
Pretoria. ” 

“ And do you think they will treat us any better 
at Johannesburg ? ” 

“ Hardly ; but if your father is there we may find 
some means of communicating with him.” 

44 All right, then we’ll go.” 

As it was raining once more they did not deem 


294 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


it advisable to start at once, but returned to Dave’s 
home, there to remain until two days later. Then 
they set off on horseback, in company with Roko. 
They might have travelled the thirty odd miles on 
the railroad, but preferred to take the cross cut 
over the veldt rather than risk an unpleasant meet- 
ing with such of the hot-headed Boers as might 
be around. 

They reached the mining city late at night, and 
put up at a small inn kept by a man who knew 
the Ralph Nelson family well. The man’s name 
was Victor Darning, and he was much interested 
in what the lads had to tell him. 

“Yes, the Boers mean business,” he said. “They 
are carrying matters with a high hand, and they 
threaten to blow up all the mines rather than sur- 
render them.” 

“That will cause a loss of millions of dollars,” 
returned Dave. 

“ True, lad, but war is war, and we must now take 
what comes. I’ll be satisfied if they leave me my 
property and my life.” 

Victor Darning had not heard from Ralph Nelson, 
but said that a new batch of prisoners had come in 
only a few hours before. 


if 

MAGERSFONTEIN AND THE TUGELA RIVER 295 

“ You will find them down on the Brayton Road,” 
he concluded. “ But you had better not try to see 
any of them to-night.” 

While the boys were eating their supper in a side 
room, half a dozen Boers came in for some liquid 
refreshments. As Dave glanced at them, he gave 
a cry of astonishment, and then clutched Will by 
the arm. 

“ Come, let us hide,” he whispered excitedly. 
“ Do you see the last man who came in ? It is 
Hendrik Kneip, and if he spots us, he may make 
us a lot of trouble ! ” 


CHAPTER XXXI 


DAVE HEARS PAINFUL NEWS 

Will understood only too well the truth of his 
cousin’s words, and without stopping to finish his 
supper he arose from the table and started for the 
hallway of the inn, Dave having gone ahead. 

Both lads were passing through the doorway when 
Hendrik Kneip caught sight of them and gave a cry 
of wonder. 

“ Dafe Nelson! ” he ejaculated as he hurried for- 
ward. “ How you vos git here, hey? ” 

“ That is my business, Kneip,” answered Dave, as 
boldly as he could. “ I reckon I have as much right 
here as you have.” 

“I dink me not. You ought to pe in brison — 
and I vos put you dare, too!” 

As the Dutchman finished he attempted to grab 
Dave by the arm. But his fingers had scarcely 
touched the boy’s sleeve when Will hauled off and 
without warning hit the fellow a heavy blow in the 
chin, which nearly took Kneip off his feet. 

296 


DAVE HEARS PAINFUL NEWS 


297 


“ That for having had us locked up for nothing ! ” 
cried the English lad. “ Come, Dave, we must 
get out now ! ” And he caught his cousin by the 
hand and led the way to the back of the inn. Here 
there was a small yard, and at the rear a large barn 
attached to a livery stable. They passed in at the 
front of the barn and out at the rear, which brought 
them to a side street, and, having by this move- 
ment procured their horses, they galloped away, 
leaving Hendrik Kneip to institute a vain search 
for them. 

“ That was a narrow escape,” observed Dave, 
when they considered themselves safe for the time 
being. “ What a blow you did give him, Will !” 

“ Didn’t he deserve it ? — the sneak ! ” 

“I dare say he did. But he won’t forgive you 
as long as he lives.” 

“I don’t care, — he had no right to assist in hav- 
ing us locked up in that dirty Boer prison.” The 
English lad scratched his, head in perplexity. 
“ What shall we do now ? ” 

“Now we are on the go we may as well ride 
down toward the Brayton Road, and see if we can 
interview any of those new prisoners that were 
brought in.” 


298 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“I’m willing. To tell the truth, Dave, I feel 
reckless to-night.” 

Again they set off, but not quite so fast as before, 
through the outskirts of Johannesburg and past the 
openings to several well-known mines. Each of 
the mines was closely guarded by a section of the 
mounted police of the town. 

When the Brayton Road was gained, they 
slowed up under a clump of trees overlooking a 
series of kops fronting the wide veldt beyond. At 
a distance they made out several camp-fires. 

“ I imagine that is the prisoners’ encampment,” 
said Will. “I wonder how close the guards will 
let us come ? ” 

“We’ll soon learn by riding forward,” answered 
Dave, and once again they started, and moved a 
distance of several hundred yards. 

Of a sudden a cry rang out through the darkness, 
and the two boys found themselves confronted by 
three sturdy Boers, each armed with a rifle. 

“Who are you ? ” asked the leader, in Dutch. 

“ Friends,” replied Dave, before Will could speak. 

“They are Uitlanders,” growled a second Boer. 
“ Beware how you trust them.” 

“ What is it you want here ? ” went on the first 
who had spoken. 


DAVE HEARS PAINFUL NEWS 


299 


“ I believe you have some prisoners in yonder 
camp,” went on Dave. “My cousin here thought 
his father might be among them.” 

The leader of the Boers turned to Will. “Is 
your father a soldier ? ” 

“ I can’t say as to that.” 

“ Where does he come from, and what is his 
name ? ” 

In a few words Will told as much of his story 
as he deemed necessary, to which the three Boers 
listened attentively. They were elderly men, had 
boys of their own, and could readily understand 
Will’s anxiety. 

“I’ll do what I can for you, my boy,” said the 
leader. “Remain here until I come back,” and he 
strode away, leaving his two companions to see to 
it that Dave and Will did not try any underhanded 
work while he was gone. 

• The Boer was absent the best part of half an 
hour, and when he came back his face wore some- 
thing of a smile. 

“ The captain says you may come in at ten 
o’clock to-morrow morning and talk to your father,” 
he said. 

“Then he is there ! ” cried Will. “Is he well?” 


300 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“Fairly well, yes, although he has had his arm 
hurt by a piece of flying shell.” 

“I am glad it is no worse. Yes, I will be sure 
and come in at ten o’clock. And I thank you for 
your kindness.” 

There was no need for further words, and soon 
after this the two boys withdrew, riding back to 
Johannesburg, but not in the direction of Victor 
Darning’s inn. 

“ Let us go over to the Alice mine and see how 
things are there,” said Dave, for the Alice mine 
was one in which both his father and his uncle 
were financially interested. 

“I was going to suggest that,” returned his 
cousin. “ I wonder if old Ulker is still in charge ? ” 
IJlker was an Englishman who had been general 
master since the mine had been opened. 

They found the way to the mine barricaded in 
several places, and they were halted half a dozen 
times by the mounted guards. But at last they came 
within sight of the property, and at the entrance 
to the office found not only old Ulker but also half 
a dozen Boer soldiers. 

“ My heyes, but if it hisn’t Will ! ” cried old 
Ulker ; “ hand David, too ! Boys, ’ow are ye, hand 


DAVE HEARS PAINFUL NEWS 


301 


where dicl ye come from ? ” And rushing forward, 
he caught each by the hand and shook the member 
warmly. 

“We are all right, Peter,” answered Will. “How 
goes it here at the mine ? ” 

“ ’Ow goes it, did ye say ? Why, lad, business 
is hat a bloody standstill, don’t ye know it? We’ll 
do well if we save the mine from bein’ blown hup 
— hif our soldier boys get into Johannesburg.” 

“ Have they threatened that ? ” asked Dave. 

“Threatened it? They’ve done more — they’ve 
planned it all hout, so that they can blow ’er hup 
at a moment’s notice. They swear that they will 
not give hup the mines to Tommy Hatkins — if ’e 
hever gets so far as ’ere.” 

The Boer soldiers now interrupted the talk, and 
demanded to know what the boys wanted. Old 
Ulker explained to them that the Nelsons were 
large stockholders in the mine, at which most of 
the Dutchmen scowled ominously. 

“ The mine will soon belong to us,” said one. “ In 
the future the English shall not take our gold from 
us.” 

“ That remains to bb seen,” answered Will, but 
very wisely under his breath. 


302 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


Ulker had a small house close at hand in which 
he lived, and here the boys put up for the night. 

44 1 suppose Roko wonders where we are,” said 
Dave, on retiring. The Kafir had been left at 
Darning’s inn. 

“Never mind, he won’t get lost,” said Will. 44 1 
think it will be just as well if he goes back to guard 
your farm.” 

Will slept but little, for he could not help but 
wonder what the coming interview with his father 
would bring forth. Was his mother safe, and his 
sister Alice, and did his parents know anything 
concerning them ? 

The time seemed to drag on the following morn- 
ing, and long before ten o’clock Will and Dave were 
out on the Bray ton Road, waiting to get into the 
prisoners’ camp. Dave did not know if he would 
be allowed to accompany his cousin, but when the 
time came, both boys went in without question, in 
company with two Boer guards, who took from 
them even their pocket-knives. 

The prisoners were several hundred in number, 
English, Irish, Scotch, and also a few Canadians 
and Americans. 

Mr. Ralph Nelson was found seated on a rock, 


DA YE HEARS PAINFUL NEWS 


303 


his right arm in a sling, and a bandage on his left 
leg just below the knee. 

“ Will ! ” he cried joyfully, and tried to embrace 
his son. He was suffering, but his face bore a happy 
smile. “ I was afraid you and Dave would get into 
no end of trouble.” 

“ Well, we have had our share, father,” answered 
the son. 

“ And how is it with you, Dave ? Have you seen 
your father ? ” 

“No.” Dave’s face fell. “I was hoping you 
would know something about him.” 

Mr. Ralph Nelson heaved a long sigh, and his eyes 
dropped to the ground. “ I am afraid, Dave, that 
— well, that all is not as it might be with your 
father.” 

“ He has been hurt ? ” gasped the youth, turning 
pale. 

“ It may be even worse.” 

There was a suggestive pause, and Dave’s heart 
leaped into his throat. “ Oh, Uncle Ralph, you 
don’t mean that he has been — been killed ? ” he 
gasped, in a choking voice. 

“We must hope for the best, my lad, in such 
times as these. Yes, he was hurt, just as I was, 


804 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


by the explosion of a shell, although at a different 
time. I am getting over my wounds, as you can 
see. He may be doing likewise.” 

“ But where is he ? ” 

“ That I cannot say. I have tried to find out, 
but so far every effort on my part has failed.” 

“ Ivoko told me you had said father had gone 
to Mafeking.” 

“ He started for Mafeking, but whether he got 
there or not I do not know. A week after he 
left I got word, through a friend of mine, that he 
was badly wounded during an engagement between 
the garrison at Mafeking and the Boers who were 
assaulting the place.” 

“ W as he in the fight ? ” 

“ He was with the Boers, but whether he fought 
or not I cannot say, nor can I say if anything was 
done for him after the fight was over.” 

“Then he may be either in a Boer hospital or 
in the hospital at Mafeking.” 

“Yes — if he still lives,” answered Ralph Nelson. 


CHAPTER XXXII 


GENERAL CRONJE’S LAST STAND 

Ralph Nelson’s story was a long one, but as 
the Boer guards told the boys that their visit 
must not last over quarter of an hour, it had to 
be condensed into the smallest possible space. 

Briefly told, it was to the effect that at the out- 
break of the war he and his brother had immedi- 
ately started on a hunt for Will and Dave. They 
had gone as far as the Limpopo River, and finding 
no trace of the lads, had concluded that they had 
gone home. 

On returning to the farms they found every- 
thing in confusion. Mrs. Nelson had become so 
alarmed over the situation that she was on the 
point of departing for Durban by way of Lady- 
smith, and nothing could induce her to remain 
where she was. 

Accordingly Ralph Nelson had set out with his 
wife and daughter, taking with him only such 
household effects as they deemed necessary. It 
305 


X 


306 BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 

was arranged that Martin Nelson should accom- 
pany them as far as Ladysmith, and then turn 
back and look for the boys. 

The trains had been crowded, and they had had 
to make the journey to the southeast in a baggage 
coach packed to the very top with goods and 
people. While on its way, this train was fired 
upon by the Boers, and the stoker of the engine 
was killed and two passengers were injured. It 
must be said, however, that for this attack the 
Boer government was not responsible. 

Arriving at Ladysmith, the Nelsons had found 
no means of quitting the town, for the railroad, 
was being used almost solely by the British mili- 
tary, and there were thousands of refugees gath- 
ering there. They put up at the home of a friend 
named Catherwood, and there Martin Nelson left 
his brother and Mrs. Nelson and Alice, and started 
back on a hunt for the boys. 

Less than a week had been spent in Ladysmith 
when the Boers began to invest the neighborhood, 
and then came the disastrous battle which placed 
Ladysmith in a state of siege. It was during this 
contest that Ralph Nelson had been wounded and 
made a prisoner. From Ladysmith he had been 


GENERAL CRONJE’S LAST STAND 


307 


removed to a hospital near the Vaal River, and 
from there to his present location. 

“ I trust my wife and Alice are still safe,” said 
he. “ But Buller has been defeated, and now there 
is no telling when Ladysmith will be relieved.” 

“ I wish I could get to mother,” put in Will, 
impulsively. 

“ If you get to her, you may not get out of 
Ladysmith again in a hurry,” answered his father, 
grimly. 

Ralph Nelson could tell but Jittle about his 
brother, above what has already been said. He 
knew Martin Nelson had looked long for the 
boys, and had then gone to Mafeking on business 
connected with his mining venture. He was cer- 
tain that his brother had been dangerously, if not 
fatally, wounded, for his friend had seen him go 
down under a most terrific shelling between the 
Boers and British. 

Long before each had said all he wished, the 
Boer guards told Will and Dave that their time 
was up and that they would have to leave the 
prisoners’ camp. Will pressed his father’s hand 
warmly. 

“I shall get to mother if I can,” he whispered. 


308 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“ I do hope you’ll be all right soon,” and so father 
and son parted, not to meet again for many a 
long, dreary day. Ordinarily, as a wounded man, 
Ralph Nelson might have been given his liberty 
on parole, but he had become involved in certain 
schemes concerning the Johannesburg mines, so 
this was not to be, and instead he was closely 
watched and was not allowed to even mention the 
mines in the boys’ presence. 

The boys went back toward Johannesburg in a 
thoughtful mood. Will’s father could do nothing 
for them, and they must continue to shift for 
themselves. The news concerning his own parent 
made Dave’s heart sink like a lump of lead in his 
breast. 

“ Oh, if only he is alive, Will! ” he cried. “If 
only he is alive ! I would rather lose the farm, 
the mine, and everything, than lose father ! ” and 
he could hardly keep back the tears. 

“ Now we are finding out how terrible war really 
is,” was the sober response. “ Those who are not 
in it cannot realize the awful truth. General Duller 
has failed to relieve Ladysmith ; who knows but 
what the Boers may shell the town and burn it 
down, — and then what will become of my mother 


GENERAL CRONJE’S LAST STAND 


309 


and dear little Alice ? ” and his voice choked so 
that he could not go on. 

The distance from Johannesburg to Ladysmith 
in round figures is two hundred miles, but by 
the various roads and mountain passes the journey 
covers fifty to sixty miles more. Will knew very 
well that the Boers would no longer carry him on 
the railroad, at least not any farther than Wak- 
kerstroom, which is more than eighty miles north 
of Ladysmith. 

“ I want to get there, but I don’t see how it is 
to be accomplished,” he sighed. “ What do you. 
advise ? ” 

“ I advise going on horseback,” answered Dave. 
“And take absolutely nothing with you but some 
money and a pistol. Then if you are captured 
they cannot say very well that you are a spy with 
a message, or something like that.” 

“ And what will you do, Dave ? Go with me, 
or try to reach Mafeking ? ” 

“ I would like to reach Mafeking, or, at least, 
find some trace of father. But I don’t think we 
ought to separate.” 

“ Then why don’t you go to Ladysmith with 
me first? Then, if all is well, we can see what 


310 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


we can do toward finding your father immediately 
after. I don’t want to separate either,” and Will 
caught his cousin’s hand. 

“ I’ll think it over to-night,” said Dave. 

In the morning he decided to accompany Will, 
at least for a part of the journey, and they returned 
to the farms to obtain fresh horses and also to 
get some money which Mr. Ralph Nelson had 
hidden away. The next day they set out for 
Natal’, each with forty pounds and a pistol in his 
pockets. 

To those not used to hard riding the journey 
would have appeared a difficult one, but, as we 
know, both Dave and Will were thoroughly at 
home in the saddle, and so the riding did not 
bother them in the least. To throw the Boers 
off their guard as much as possible each of the 
boys had made himself look as youthful as he 
could, so that neither appeared to be over fifteen 
years old. 

“ They won’t bother boys,” had been Dave’s 
comment, and there was a good deal of truth in 
this, for often, instead of stopping to question 
them, a Dutch guard would merely pass them 
by with some rude joke about the English army, 


GENERAL CRONJE’S LAST STAND 311 

and asking if they were going to join, as targets 
for the Boer guns. Some of these jokes made 
Will very angry, yet he was prudent enough to 
hold his tongue, knowing that a row could result 
only in the complete overthrow of his plans. 

Yet the journey was full of excitement, and 
once they were detained for two days at the village 
of Ruistein, where they found two Irish soldiers 
being held as prisoners, and where they had to 
act as interpreters for the men. One of the Irish- 
men was a spy, but Will helped the soldier to 
clear himself, and of this the English lad was very 
proud. In return for this the Irishman gave them 
valuable information regarding the manner in which 
they should continue their journey. 

“ The war is just begun, me b’y,” said the soldier. 
“ Mark me wurrud if that isn’t so. So far they 
have had the best av us, for we couldn’t git our 
sodgers down here quick enough. But now Lord 
Roberts has taken control, wid big reenforcements 
a-comin’, and soon the whole Boer nation will wisht 
they had never been born, bad luck to ’em ! ” 

What the soldier said about Field-marshal Rob* 
erts was true. Immediately after the reverses 
at Magersfontein and on the Tugela River, Lord 


312 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


Roberts, V.C., was appointed Commander-in-Chief 
of the British army in South Africa, and it was 
decided to increase the force in the field fully fifty 
per cent. 

But if the forces of the British were increasing, j 
so were those of the Transvaal and the Orange i 
Free State. From every village and every farm j 
the men, young and old, poured forth to fight 
for what they considered their rights, and to these I 
were added many foreigners who did not deem it ] 
wise to let England control this territory. Soon 
the Boers had half a dozen divisions in the field — j 
one harassing Ladysmith, another surrounding Kim- j 
berley and bidding defiance to Methuen, a third 
-cutting off far-away Maf eking from all the rest j 
of the world, and still others holding White and 
Gatacre in check, and daring Buller to make \ 
another advance. This was the time when the 
Boer cause was nearest to success ; the downfall 1 
began when Lord Roberts reached the scene of 
war. 

It was on February 6, 1900, that Lord Roberts I 
left Cape Town, where he had just arrived from j 
England for the Modder River, to see what could 
be done for the relief of Kimberley. The first 


GENERAL CRONJE’S LAST STAND 


313 


movement was to send General French with a cav- 
alry division to Dekiel’s Drift, on the Riet River, 
from whence this commander pushed on to Modder 
River. An infantry division, under Generals Kelly - 
Kenny and Tucker, followed the cavalry, and then 
General French began a swift ride directly for 
Kimberley, scattering the Boers in all directions 
as he went. 

The mining town went wild when the troops 
entered the place, but now was no time for rejoic- 
ing, for it was soon learned that a large Boer force, 
under General Cronje, was trekking with all speed 
in the direction of Bloemfontein. 

“ He must not escape — he shall not escape,” 
Lord Roberts is reported to have said, and imme- 
diately despatched one of Kelly- Kenny’s brigades 
in pursuit. The Boers were sighted at Klip Drift 
and were pursued eastward ^or twenty miles. 
Then Cronje and his army intrenched themselves 
in the bed of the Modder River, close to Paarde- 
berg Drift, laagering their wagons at Koodoos 
Rand Drift. 

The stand taken by the Boers was an unusual 
one, the high banks of the stream affording them 
much protection from the fire of their enemies. 


314 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


They were soon surrounded, and a fierce battle 
followed, in which the Essex, Welsh, and York- 
shire regiments of the English army distinguished 
themselves, and the artillery joined in just as soon 
as it could be brought up, sending down a rain of 
shot and shell that was frightful to behold. 

It was felt by the English that Cronje, no matter 
how valiant a fighter, could not hold out against 
those who surrounded him, and if he held out at 
all, it would only be in the hope that some other 
Boer force would come to his relief. Accordingly, 
a strict guard was set, and a relief force from 
before Ladysmith was beaten off. 

The British now began a bombardment of the 
Boer position in earnest, and this was kept up day 
after day, with severe losses to the Dutch com- 
mand. With General Cronje were many women 
and children, and these were offered a safe conduct 
from the scene of battle, but the Boers refused 
the offer. 

The end of the tremendous struggle came upon 
the 27th of February. Cronje’s means were now 
almost exhausted. Rations and ammunition were 
both low, and English shot and shell had burnt 
and destroyed his wagons and his guns and killed 


GENERAL CRONJE’s LAST STAND 


815 


and wounded hundreds of his men. In the midst 
of this a Canadian regiment, followed by the First 
Gordons and the Shropshires, dashed to within 
eighty yards of the main laager, doing awful exe- 
cution with their rifles. Cronje, unable to with- 
stand the onslaught, surrendered unconditionally, 
and four thousand prisoners fell into Lord Rob- 
erts’ hands. These prisoners were shipped to vari- 
ous points in Cape Colony and Natal, while General 
Cronje was sent to the island of St. Helena, the 
scene, years before, of Napoleon’s exile. 


CHAPTER XXXIII 


SPION KOP AND LIFE IN LADYSMITH 

“ Dave, where in the world are we ? ” 

“ I can’t tell you, Will, excepting that we are 
on the Tugela River, and not many miles from 
Ladysmith.” 

“ W ell, I am tired of this travelling at night 
and trying to get through the Boer lines,” grum- 
bled the English lad, as he slipped from his horse 
and threw himself on the rocks to rest. “We’ve 
been doing nothing but dodge those Dutchmen for 
days and days.” 

“ We can be thankful that we have not been 
caught and treated as spies.” 

“ Humph ! I suppose that’s so. Do you think 
we will ever get into Ladysmith?” 

“ Oh, we’ll get in the town when the relief force 
comes along, I suppose. Anyway, you know as much 
about it as I do,” concluded Dave, and threw himself 
down beside his cousin. 

They were in the mountainous territory along 
316 


SPION KOP AND LIFE IN LADYSMITH BIT 

the Tugela River, at a point many miles southwest 
of Ladysmith. They had travelled principally at 
night, and had been on their guard constantly. 
Yet they had not escaped the Boers entirely, and 
had been fired upon twice. Now they were prac- 
tically lost, for the rough mountain trails around 
them appeared to lead nowhere in particular. 

During those days, and while both sides were 
active at the Modder River, B uller’s column, trying 
to get to Ladysmith, was not idle. There had 
been a heavy attack on the town, on January 6, 
but this had been repulsed, and five days later 
General Buller started again to the relief, occupy- 
ing the south bank of the Tugela at Potgieter’s 
Drift without great difficulty. From this point 
the British army advanced step by step, from one 
hill to another, until the historic spot called Spion 
Kop was gained. This Ivop is almost sacred to 
the Boers, for from it the voortreJckers, or pioneers* 
from Natal first caught a glimpse of the beautiful 
farming lands beyond, which they afterward made 
their homes. 

T,he fighting was furious, lasting ' for several 
days, and the Boers gave up one kopje after an- 
other grudgingly, and only after a severe loss on 


318 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


both sides. Spion Kop was gained by a force 
under Sir Charles Warren on the 23d, but on the 
day following the Boers massed their army around 
the Kop and brought their heavy artillery to bear 
at every available point, and it was then speedily 
discovered that the spot was untenable, and the 
British retired with a loss of about a thousand 
men killed, wounded, and missing. The blow was 
a heavy one, and the dark days in Ladysmith became 
gloomier than ever. 

But General Buller was not disheartened, and 
soon he made preparations for a third attempt to 
relieve the town. With seventy-two guns he bom- 
barded the position of the Boers in the mountains 
back of the Tugela, and then the infantry forced 
a passage over the stream, this time on three pon- 
toon bridges, which were constructed by the Engi- 
neer’s Corps under tremendous difficulties. Once 
across the river a high hill of the Brakfontein 
Range was taken, and then a Boer position at Yaal 
Krantz was captured. 

The heavy cannonading was distinctly heard by 
Will and Dave, who had small difficulty in locating 
the battle which was taking place. But the boys 
had no desire to take part in the contest, — at least, 


SPION KOP AND LIFE) IN LADYSMITH 319 

Dave did not wish it, — and so they withdrew from 
the river and began a rapid journey on horseback 
over several kopjes leading directly for Ladysmith. 

They had gone less than a mile when they heard 
the tramp of horses and the rattle of heavy wheels, 
and they had scarcely time in which to hide them- 
selves behind a clump of trees when a battery of 
Boer artillery rushed past. The guns were heavy 
ones, and to each were attached eight horses, which 
the drivers lashed furiously, shouting loudly as they 
flourished their sjamboks. 

“ They are going somewhere in a tremendous 
hurry,” whispered Will. “Dave, I’ve a good mind 
to follow them.” 

“ You’ll be shot down for your pains.” 

“ But I would like to do something for the cause 
of old England,” pleaded the British lad. 

“ I believe you, but — Look out ! ” 

Dave had discovered a body of Dutch infantry 
approaching from behind them, and now he called 
to his cousin to follow him and rode off at full 
speed, into a pass between two of the kopjes. Will 
came behind his cousin, but they were discovered, 
and half a dozen shots rang out, although none took 
effect. 


820 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


Neither of the boys knew anything of the trail 
they were following, and Dave was pushing along 
with might and main when, on turning a corner of 
the rocks, he found himself on the edge of a deep 
ravine. Into this plunged his horse with the youth 
still on his back, while Will came to a standstill, 
transfixed with horror, and for the instant forgetting 
the enemy who was pursuing him. 

When Dave landed he heard a cracking of bones 
beneath him, and then pitched heels over head into 
a pool of water surrounded by a fringe of heavy 
bushes. Half stunned he arose to his knees and 
crawled deeper into the bushes, still thinking the 
Boers were at his heels. Thus he covered fully a 
hundred yards, when he reached another hollow and 
fell into this, striking on the side of the head, a blow 
which rendered him completely unconscious. 

It was several hours before Dave came to his 
senses, and even then he scarcely realized his 
wretched condition. The side of his head was 
covered with dried blood, and when he opened his 
eyes everything appeared to dance before them. 
He tried to get up, but the effort was a failure* 
for he was greatly weakened by the loss of blood. 

The night came on, and the next day, and still 



Into this plunged his horse with the youth still on his 

. — Page 320 


RACK 




SPION KOP AND LIFE IN LADYSMITH 321 

the youth remained in the ravine. He had eaten 
nothing but a few crackers which had happened 
to be in the horse’s saddle-bags when the accident 
occurred. The steed was dead, having broken his 
neck in the fall. 

Dave wondered what had become of his cousin, 
but felt almost certain that Will had fallen into the 
hands of the Boers. “ It’s a miserable ending to 
this expedition,” he groaned. “We would have 
done far better had we kept out of it altogether.” 

The next day found him feeling better, though 
still much bruised and weak. He did not know 
where he was, and wandered on and on until he 
struck the road running from Ladysmith to Colenso. 
Here he came upon a deserted Boer camp and found 
a number of rations which proved highly accept- 
able. 

The youth was now desperate, and that night he 
struck out boldly for Ladysmith, and kept on until 
he reached the vicinity of End Hill and the White 
Kopje. He was now within four miles of Lady- 
smith proper. A storm was coming up, and he 
determined to take advantage of the elements and 
get past the Boer guards, were such a thing pos- 
sible. 


322 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


As he advanced he became more cautious. The 
Boers had a twelve pounder planted on End Hill, 
and there was a strong picket guard stretching 
from this hill over the veldt and the roads to 
Colenso, and the mountain passes, on to Lancer 
Hill. 

“ If they get me, they’ll surely shoot me on the 
spot,” he thought, and then as a burly Dutch picket 
appeared out of the darkness he dropped into the 
tall wet grass and laid as silent as possible. 

The Boer tramped close to him, and it was a long 
while before Dave felt able to go on, and then he 
slipped through the grass on his stomach like a 
snake. But at last the pickets were passed, and 
then the boy arose and went forward on a run, 
using up all the strength that was left in him. 

“ Halt ! Who goes there ? ” The cry came from 
directly ahead, and straining his eyes, Dave made 
out a British soldier — one of the Gordon Post — 
who had his rifle aimed ready to fire. 

“ Don’t shoot ! ” cried the boy. “ Is this the 
English camp?” 

“ It is,” was the welcome answer, and a great load 
was lifted from Dave’s heart. He walked closer 
and told his tale, and long before morning was 


SPION KOP AND LIFE IN LADYSMITH 323 

safe in Ladysmith. Here he had to report to 
General White himself, and what he had to say 
was listened to with close attention. 

“Well, my lad, you are in Ladysmith now,” said 
General White. “ And I am afraid you will have 
to stay in — at least for a time. But don’t mind 
that; we’ll treat you as well as we can,” and he 
gave Dave a friendly hand-shake. 

As soon as he was able, Dave hunted up his 
Aunt Isabel and his little cousin Alice. He found 
both at the house of a friend, in fairly good health, 
but much worn out through anxiety attending the 
siege. 

“It has been a dreadful time,” sighed Mrs. Nel- 
son. “We are not safe, no matter where we go. 
Yesterday the Boers continued the bombardment, 
and the store directly across the way was com- 
pletely wrecked, as you can see.” 

“ Yes, and the bad, bad soldiers fired a shell right 
in the back yard once, and killed a dog and a horse,” 
put in little Alice. “ Oh, it was simply drefful ! ” 
And she shook her curly head ominously. 

“ It’s too bad, certainly,” said Dave. “ I trust 
the town is soon relieved. Won’t they let the 
women and children get away ? ” 


324 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“No. General White tried to arrange with Gen- 
eral Joubert about that, but the most Joubert would 
allow was to form a sick camp and station along the 
line of the railroad to Maritzburg, at a point within 
the Boer lines, a place they now call Imtomb Camp, 
for the cemetery is also there. As the folks were 
not allowed to go to the English camps, they pre- 
ferred — that is the majority of them — to remain 
in Ladysmith.” 

Mrs. Nelson was, of course, very anxious to 
hear from her husband and her son. Dave broke 
the news as gently as possible, but Mrs. Nelson 
could not stand the strain, and went into a fit of 
weeping, in which little Alice joined. 

“ It is too cruel ! ” she wailed. “ My husband 
a prisoner and wounded, and Will either a prisoner, 
or perhaps dead ! ” She w r as nearly overcome, and a 
physician had to be called in to give her something 
soothing, that she might not break down utterly. 

It was on the day that Dave entered Ladysmith 
the news came in that General Buller’s third at- 
tempt to relieve the town had failed. As men- 
tioned before, a hill on the upper side of the 
Tugela had. been gained, but while the army was 
preparing to advance, a war balloon was sent up, 


SPION KOP AND LIFE IN LADYSMITH 325 


and through observations taken from this high ele- 
vation it was discovered that the Boers had planted 
some extra heavy guns directly in the mountain 
passes, so that to push forward would have been 
suicidal. Under such circumstances there was 
nothing left to do but to go back and over the 
river once more, and this the British commander 
did. 

This retreat came on the 7th of February, and 
once more Ladysmith was in gloom. Rations were 
short, and extravagant prices had to be paid for 
everything, so that Dave’s money was soon gone, 
and, in company with hundreds of others, he had 
to get his kettle of soup at the public kitchen, in 
order to keep from starving. All of the cattle 
had been killed, and luxuries in the way of fresh 
meats and fresh vegetables were unknown. The 
bombardments continued, and no one knew but 
what the next minute would be his last. 


CHAPTER XXXIV 


THE RELIEF OF LADYSMITH 


“ If I only knew whafc bad become of Dave ! ” 

Such was Will’s remark as he sat on his horse, 
several miles away from the mountain trail where 
his cousin had taken the awful tumble into the 
ravine. The lad’s left arm was bleeding from a 
bullet wound, made by a Boer sharpshooter’s rifle, 
and his pistol and cartridge box were both empty. 

It had been a wild and dangerous ride, around 
the rocky trail and through a cross cut which had 
unexpectedly opened to his vision. The boy, des- 
perate in the extreme, had resolved to sell his life 
as dearly as possible, and with true Anglo-Saxon 
pluck had loaded and emptied his pistol twice, 
and had had the satisfaction of seeing two of his 
pursuers drop out of the race, one seriously 
wounded in the breast. Now he was as deep 
into a dense forest as his ■ steed would carry him, 
hatless, his jacket in rags, and his breath coming 
and going rapidly. 






326 


THE RELIEF OF LADYSMITH 


327 


He felt that Dave must be alive — he would not 
believe his cousin dead. Yet he would not dare 
go back to the spot — indeed, he doubted if he 
could find the locality again. 

“ It was a nasty tumble,” he told himself. “If 
Dave is hurt, he will be next to helpless down 
there. What shall I do?” 

He passed a dismal night, speculating upon his 
situation for several hours, and then falling into 
a fitful doze, from which the distant booming of 
a cannon aroused him at daybreak. He rode off, 
not knowing in what direction, and hardly caring. 
Never had he felt so lonely as at that moment, 
with the great Drakensberg Mountains hemming 
him in on all sides. He felt that one might easily 
become lost in those mountains .and never find his 
way out again. 

At last he gained the Tugela River. The sun 
was again setting, and at a distance he beheld a 
number of men moving about on the stream in 
flatboats. He gazed long and earnestly at them, 
and made out the well-known khaki uniform of 
the British soldier of the tropics. At some dis- 
tance from the river were a number of sangars, 
or shelters, put up against the rocks, and here 


328 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


were more soldiers, some on guard and others at 
rest. 

“ Hurrah ! ” he shouted, and rode toward them 
swiftly, waving his white handkerchief as he ad- 
vanced. Soon he was among them, and found they 
were a detachment of the Queen’s Guard, sent out 
to watch a pass to the north. 

“ You’ve had a remarkable adventure,” said the 
captain of the command. “And your escape from 
the enemy does you credit. If you have any mil- 
itary information to give, you had best take it 
straight to headquarters.” 

The next day found Will with the main body 
of General Buller’s army, and there he remained 
for the time being. Once he went out with half 
a dozen soldiers to look for Dave, but this search 
proved, as we know, unsuccessful. 

The armies at the Modder River and before Lady- 
smith were separated by about three hunu* ad miles 
of rough territory, yet constant communications 
were kept up between Lord Roberts, General 
Methuen, and General Buller, and about the time 
that Kimberley was relieved, General Buller began 
his fourth attempt to relieve the city which had 
so long and patiently awaited his coming, feeling 


THE RELIEF OF LADYSMITH 


329 


that the Boers opposing him under General Joubert 
could not now look for reenforcements from General 
Cronje. In the meantime many heliographic mes- 
sages had passed between Buller and the com- 
mander in Ladysmith, and General White promised 
to do everything in his power to aid the relief 
column in getting to him. 

The advance began on February 14, when the 
Queen’s Guard crossed the nek and fought for a 
position on the southern slope of Monte Carlo, while 
the Fourth Brigade fought for the western slope, 
and the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and a portion of the 
Sixth Brigade struck at the eastern flank of the 
Boer army. 

Every step of the way was bitterly contested, in 
weather which was frightfully hot and dusty, but 
the British were now on their mettle, and slowly 
but surelv the Dutch were driven across the Tu- 
gela anbaway from both banks, and then General 
Buller’s whole army came over and encamped under 
the high cliffs which in the past had afforded such 
generous protection to their opponents. 

The capture of Monte Carlo was followed by the 
taking of Hlangwane. This high hill commanded a 
good view of Colenso, and no sooner were the Brit- 


830 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


ish guns brought to bear on that town than the 
Boers retreated with all speed. They were pur- 
sued by the Fifth Division, and a sharp encounter 
followed with the Boer rearguard. At the same 
time the First British Brigade pushed on to Grob- 
ler’s Kloof, but here the Boers held a strong position 
and beat them back, with a heavy loss to the Somer- 
set regiment, of which over a hundred were killed 
or wounded. 

Will went with the Queen’s Guard to Monte 
Carlo, a rugged mountain overlooking the river, 
behind the rocks of which a strong Boer force was 
intrenched. At his own request the youth had 
been supplied with a rifle and cartridges, and had 
learned as many military movements as were abso- 
lutely necessary to the occasion. 

“We’ll make a soldier out of you, never fear!” 
cried Captain Rathmore, of the company to which 
Will had attached himself. “ I have heard you can 
shoot pretty straight, and out here that is the main 
thing.” 

Will’s heart beat wildly when the advance came. 
In a person of real backbone blood will always tell, 
and to him England was his own country, although 
he had been born and brought up in South Africa 
among the Boers. 


THE RELIEF OF LADYSMITH 


381 


“ Hurrah for the Old Flag !' ” he shouted enthusi- 
astically. “ Come on, fellows, who’s afraid ! ” And 
his show of valor made many a Tommy Atkins 
laugh heartily. 

But there was small pleasure in that day, outside 
of the pleasure which comes from the knowledge of 
a duty well done. Soon the lad found himself on 
the firing line, amid a dust and apparent confusion 
which for the moment dazed him. He heard the 
crack ! crack ! of many rifles, the booming of deep- 
throated cannon, and the whining and shrieking of 
shells and hissing of shrapnel. Once a shell burst 
directly in front of him, and only by hurling him- 
self flat on the ground did he manage to save 
his life. 

“ This is hot, eh ? ” he gasped, as he got up 
again. “If that had come fifty feet closer — ” 
The balance of his remark was drowned out by 
the report of the British artillery, and, along with 
his company, he rushed forward, firing whenever 
he got the chance to do so. He saw one burly 
Boer peeping over a distant rock, gun in hand, and 
took careful aim at the man. The Boer fell back, 
and that was the last seen of him in that fight. 

When the heights were gained, and the Boers 


832 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


had fallen back and out of sight, the boy was 
ready to drop from exhaustion. He had been on 
his feet in the broiling sun for six hours, without 
a mouthful to eat or to drink. Joining a number 
of the soldiers, he let himself fall on a stretch of 
grass, and lay there panting, like a dog from the 
chase. 

“ I said ye would make a soldier,” cried one old 
veteran, catching him by the arm. “ I had my 
eye on ye, and ye did nobly. But, lad, ye’re 
wounded — your back is covered with blood ! ” 

“Wounded!” repeated Will, and then he felt 
the blood trickling down over his left shoulder. 
In the excitement he had not noticed the shot. 
His jacket and shirt were taken off, and there, 
just below the collar bone, was an ugly gash made 
by a rifle ball, which had made two holes through 
his jacket, several inches apart. As the regular 
surgeons were busy, attending to the more seri- 
ously wounded, Will’s companions cared for him. 

“You are lucky to escape with your life,” said 
one. “ If that bullet had come a bit closer, it 
would have passed right through your throat.” 

“ I was lucky,” answered Will ; “ but don’t 
think that this has knocked all the fight out of 


THE RELIEF OF LADYSMITH 


833 


me. I’m good for many a battle yet,” and this 
proved true, for the following day saw him on 
the firing line once more. 

The fighting was now principally at Grobler’s 
Kloof, whence the British had taken their Howitzer 
Battery. This battery the Boers tried to capture, 
but failed. But the Dutch position was so strong 
that a further advance seemed well-nigh impossi- 
ble, although the troops of the queen did all in 
their power to take the mountain fastnesses which 
confronted them. For the Boers these fastnesses 
were proving veritable forts. 

At last, finding progress absolutely blocked in 
the neighborhood of Langewachte Spruit, General 
Buller recrossed to the south bank of the Tugela, 
and on the 27th a small force took Pieter Hill, 
after climbing a cliff over five hundred feet high. 
At the top a desperate encounter ensued, but the 
Boers had to fall back, their left flank much dis- 
organized. Sixty prisoners were taken by the 
British, and the Dutch fled in all directions. 

“ On to Ladysmith ! ” was now the cry, for an 
entrance into the mountains had been gained at 
last, and a rivalry sprang up as to which organiza- 
tion should be first into the town. Yet there was 


334 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


more fighting, for twenty-four hours longer, in half 
a dozen directions, before Lord Dundonald, with 
the Natal Carbineers and a composite regiment — 
that is, companies from several different regiments 
— marched into Ladysmith at night. 

What a rejoicing there was then ! Cannons 
boomed, church bells rang, and the besieged people 
shouted themselves hoarse, as they ran out on the 
streets almost ready to embrace those who had come 
in. “ Buffer is coming ! ” was the cry. “ He has 
scattered the Boers in all directions ! ” 

The post-office had been the main centre of 
attraction during the siege, for it was here that 
all news from the outside world was posted up 
each day. Hither went the soldiers and the citi- 
zens, many of the latter flourishing Union Jacks 
as they ran. On the steps of the post-office 
General White addressed the crowd. 

“ I thank you one and all for the heroic and 
patient manner in which you have assisted me 
during the siege of Ladysmith,” he said. “ It 
hurt me terribly when I was compelled to cut 
down your rations, but, thank God, we have kept 
our flag flying ! ” 

“ Hurrah for General White ! ” was the shout, 


THE RELIEF OF LADYSMITH 


335 


and three cheers were given with a will, with a 
tiger to follow. Then the general led all in sing- 
ing “God Save the Queen.” It was a meeting 
which will never be forgotten by those who were 
present. 

On the day following General Buller made his 
formal entrance into the town, and there was a 
regular military parade. Dave was out to see 
this parade, as were also his Aunt Isabel and Cousin 
Alice. 

* Suddenly Alice gave a shriek of joy. “ Will ! 
Will ! My own brother Will ! ” she exclaimed, 
and pointed with her little hand to a body of 
soldiers who were approaching. It was Will, true 
enough, and in a moment more the lad was in his 
mother’s arms, with Alice perched on his shoulder, 
and Dave looking his thankfulness out of his happy 
eyes. 


CHAPTER XXXV 


ON TO MAFEKING 

“ I AM so glad you are alive ! ” said Dave, when 
he could get the chance to talk to his cousin. 

“And I am glad that you are all right, too,” 
answered Will. “I felt sure that fall over the 
cliff had killed you.” 

Of course each had to tell his story to the 
other, and then Mrs. Nelson had to relate all she 
knew, and little Alice had to tell something, too. 
The little girl kept on hugging her brother, and 
could not be made to leave him once for the bal- 
ance of that day. 

The fighting to get into Ladysmith had told 
severely upon Will, and it was deemed best to put 
him under a physician’s care. The doctor ordered 
perfect rest for at least a month, and the English 
lad was made comfortable at the home of his par- 
ents’ friend, and Mrs. Nelson took care of him. 

The days following the capture of General Cronje 
and the relief of Ladysmith were busy ones for the 
336 


ON TO MAFEKING 


337 


armies on both sides of the war, but to go into the 
details of all the battles which were fought would 
take more pages than I can spare for that purpose. 
Leaving the Modder River, Lord Roberts struck 
out directly for Bloemfontein, and two weeks later 
the capital city of the Orange Free State was 
entered, and a few hours later the flag of England 
was floating from the top of the government build- 
ing. The Boers fled, and with them went President 
Steyne and many other members of the Free State 
government. 

“ Bloemfontein is ours ! ” said Mrs. Nelson, 
bringing the news in to Will. “I presume the 
next movement will be on Pretoria.” 

“ Yes, mother, and that will wind up this ter- 
rible war, I hope,” answered the son. 

“ If only I could get some word from my father,” 
put in Dave, with a long sigh. He had wished to 
journey in the direction of Maf eking, but had seen 
no chance to do so. Besides, there was no telling 
if his parent really was in that besieged town. 

Mafeking was as badly off as Ladysmith had 
been, and conditions there were growing rapidly 
worse. The Boers bombarded the place time and 
again, but the gallant garrison, under Colonel 


338 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


Baden-Powell, refused to consider any terms of 
surrender. 

“We are here to stay,” said the commander. 
“And here we will stay until the end.” Rations 
went down almost to nothing, and horses had to 
be shot for food and to keep them from starving, 
while many of the soldiers fell sick of fever and 
for the want of a proper diet. Yet little grum- 
bling was heard. 

While the several forces of the English army 
were operating in The south, as related in the past 
chapters, another force of two thousand men, 
under Colonels Plumer and Houldsworth, had 
started in the north, from Rhodesia, to march 
south to the relief of Mafeking. Thus two armies 
were moving toward the town, yet they were hun- 
dreds of miles apart, and between them lay several 
of the strongest of the Dutch commandoes. The 
command from Rhodesia encountered severe oppo- 
sition almost from the start, and during the third 
week in March was driven back to Crocodile Pool ; 
and then the relief of the town seemed as far off 
as ever. 

But the Boers, having suffered one great loss in 
the capture of General Cronje, were to suffer another 


ON TO MAFEKING 


339 


still greater in the death of General Piet Joubert, 
the Commander-in-Chief of all the Dutch forces, 
and the able military leader who had so long held 
General Buller in check at the Tugela River. Gen- 
eral Joubert died of stomach troubles, on the 27th 
of March, and was buried with the highest honors. 
He was of old French Huguenot blood, his ances- 
tors having settled in South Africa many years 
before. Those who knew him well say that he 
was a man absolutely without fear, yet a soldier 
who was kind and considerate to the last degree. 

The loss of Bloemfontein aroused the Free Staters 
to great activity, and for weeks after Lord Roberts 
entered the capital the fighting went on continually, 
to the northward and in the direction of Mafeking, 
while at Ladysmith the Transvaal Boers sought to 
regain some of the ground lost to General Buller. 
Hardly a day passed when some battle, large or 
small, did not occur, the British losing at times, 
and at others driving the Boers back for miles with 
heavy loss. Once a Boer commando marched into 
a village thinking it unoccupied, and a British 
regiment captured all of the Dutchmen, nearly two 
hundred in number. At another time several 
companies of British were caught in a pass between 


340 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


the kopjes and had to surrender under threat of 
being blown to pieces by the Boer artillery, trained 
on the spot. Scouting was attended with great 
difficulty, for both sides had out the best of their 
sharpshooters, and to attempt to cross the stretch 
of veldt from one hill to another was hazardous 
in the extreme. The British freely acknowledged 
that they had found a foeman worthy of their steel, 
and the whole world looked on and regretted that 
the difficulty between the two nations could not 
be adjusted without further fighting. 

One day Dave could stand the suspense no 
longer, and came to his Aunt Isabel and Will. “ I 
am going to leave you,” he said. 

“ You are going to look for your father ?” ques- 
tioned his cousin quickly. 

“Yes, dead or alive, I must find out what has 
become of him. This suspense will drive me to an 
insane asylum.” 

“ My dear David, I can realize how you feel,” 
said his aunt, taking him in her arms. “ But such 
a mission as you propose will be highly dangerous. ” 

“No more dangerous than to get into Ladysmith,” 
he answered. “Anyway, I am going to try it, no 
matter what the risk.” 


ON TO MAFEKING 


341 


He was off on the day following, having procured 
a good horse and an entirely new outfit, as well as 
a fair supply of money and a trustworthy pistol. 

In a roundabout way Dave had heard that a 
special relief column, composed of cavalry and 
mounted police from the Cape, was to start for 
Mafeking by way of Kimberley, keeping as much 
as possible out of the way of all Boer forces, and 
doing a large portion of their travelling by night. 
To this force he meant to attach himself, and for 
tliht purpose took the train to Maritzburg, where 
he disembarked with his horse and continued his 
journey directly westward through Basutoland to 
Wepener. 

There had been severe fighting at Wepener, but 
the Boers had retired and he was not molested, and 
his next movement was to Jagersfontein, and thence, 
by the public highway, direct to Kimberley. 

The ride was one of over three hundred miles, 
over kopjes and rolling veldt, with many a stream to 
cross, and he had to keep a constant lookout for 
soldiers, fearful that some one upon either side of the 
contest might shoot him down. He was stopped sev- 
eral times, but his story was such a straight one that 
none of the delays lasted over a few hours or a night. 


342 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


When Kimberley was reached boy and steed were 
sorely in need of rest, yet Dave spent only one after- 
noon and a night in the mining city, for the relief 
column had already left, and he did not wish to miss 
it on the road. On the day following, and while 
Dave was on his way to Vryburg, a strong English 
command, under General Warren, also moved on 
toward Mafeking, to meet the Boers in a sharp fight 
at Fourteen Streams and the Vaal River. 

Several days later, after having passed through 
the village of Taungs, Dave came upon a number of 
wounded Cape police, and from them learned that t'he 
first relief column was pushing on toward Mafeking 
with all possible vigor. 

“We have heard that the Boers are getting ready 
for an extra heavy bombardment of the town,” said 
one of the sufferers, “ and our command wanted to 
get there before Colonel Baden-Powell was forced to 
surrender.” 

Again Dave pushed on, and after two days of hard 
riding he came up to the flying column, just as it 
was joining forces with Colonel Plumer at Jam- 
masibi, on May 15. With this force were a lew 
guns, but these were brought into action only with 
difficulty.” 


ON TO MAFEKING 


343 


The Boers were now finding the territory too 
“hot” for comfort, and not knowing how great a 
force of the British was advancing upon them, began 
preparations to retire, taking with them their big 
siege guns, which for many months had been the 
terror of all in Mafeking. The siege had now lasted 
almost seven months, a time which to many of the 
people seemed an eternity. “Will relief never 
come ? ” was the question asked daily. 

“ If you join us, you’ve got to fight,” said one of 
the British officers to Dave. “We want no idle 
hands here.” 

“ I shall try to do my duty,” answered the boy, 
and saluting, he walked away. His one thought 
was of his father, not of the war and its awful 
consequences. 

For five days there was fighting, first on one side 
and then on the other. Once Dave found himself 
attacked by two burly Boers, each with an empty 
rifle to which was affixed a glistening bayonet. It 
was in an out-of-the-way spot, and the boy saw that 
he must fight for it or be slain. 

“ Keep off ! ” he cried in Dutch. “ I am a non- 
combatant ! Keep off ! ” At this one of the Boers 
fell back. But the other came on with an evil look 


344 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


in his eye, and a fierce hand-to-hand struggle ensued, 
which came to an unexpected termination when a 
rifle-shot rang out, and the Dutchman fell back, 
pierced through the shoulder by the skill of a Cape 
Colony mounted policeman. 

“ That’s a narrow escape for you, lad,” said the 
officer, as he rode up. “ You ought to have shot 
him down with your pistol when he first made for 
you,” and he galloped off after the second Boer. 

Three days later the first of the relief guard came 
within sight of Mafeking, and twenty-four hours 
after this the first entry was made into the town, the 
Boers leaving the vicinity with all possible speed. 

The scene that followed is well-nigh impossible 
of description. The whole town went wild with 
excitement. Men and boys, ragged, lean, and 
hungry, shouted themselves hoarse, and marched 
through the streets waving flags and singing patri- 
otic songs. The women wept and fairly embraced 
the bronzed and tired soldiers who had come to 
them, bringing with them many wagon loads of 
supplies. Soon it became rumored that another 
relief column was following the first, and that a 
large sum of money had been collected in London 
for the benefit of the sufferers when the siege should 


ON TO MAFEKING 


345 


be raised, and the excitement increased, and it was 
several days before many began to act like rational 
beings. Nor was the excitement confined to Mafe- 
king, or to South Africa. When it became known 
in England that the gallant little town had once 
more received its freedom, the joy was unconfined, 
and for the day London and many other cities took 
on a holiday appearance, as the crowd congregated 
to talk over the good news. 


CHAPTER XXXYI 


THE FALL OF PRETORIA — CONCLUSION 

“Now to find father, if he is anywhere in the 
place.” 

Thus spoke Dave to himself, upon entering Mafe- 
king, close upon the heels of the British soldiers. 
To him the victory, great as it had been, was of sec- 
ondary importance. He was fairly dying with im- 
patience to know whether or not his parent was 
alive. 

It did not take the lad long to reach the general 
hospital of the town, and once there he looked over 
the long list of sick and wounded. There was one 
Nelson among the number, but the soldier was no 
relation to him. 

“ Useless ! ” burst from his lips, and all in a trem- 
ble, he sank down on a bench, overcome with 
emotion. 

“ What’s the trouble, my lad ? ” asked a surgeon, 
who had been passing as he came to a halt. u Do 
you feel sick ? ” 


346 


THE FALL OF PRETORIA — CONCLUSION 347 

“ Yes — sick at heart,” groaned Dave. 

u Is some friend missing ? ” 

“ My father is missing. I heard he was wounded, 
and I was in great hope that I would find him here. 
Now I don’t know where to look for him.” 

“ Is he in the army ? ” 

“ No, sir, he is an American and a non-combatant. 
But he was shot in some way.” 

“ Perhaps he is in the Boers’ hospital. ” 

“ That may be, sir.” 

“ If matters weren’t so red-hot just now, you 
might get a pass into their lines.” 

“ I’d like that — if it would do any good,” 

The surgeon passed on, and a little while later 
Dave left the hospital and walked doAvn the main 
street of Mafeking. His heart was like a lump of 
lead, and what to do next he did not know. 

“ Perhaps I would have done as well had I re- 
mained in Ladysmith,” he mused dismally. “ I 
don’t know a soul here, and what will these people 
care for an American boy who is not fighting with 
them?” 

On the following day, Dave was lounging around 
the main hotel when he came face to face with an 
Englishman he had frequently met in Pretoria. 


848 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“ Hullo, is it you ? ” exclaimed Mr. Brentgood. 
“ How did you get here ? ” 

The boy started to tell his story, but before he 
had half finished the Englishman interrupted him. 

“ Lad, I’m afraid the news will shock you, but 
— but — your father was with the Boers during 
that fight, and when he was wounded. I can’t 
say w'hether he is dead or alive, but if he is alive, 
he is most likely in some Dutch hospital, or in the 
sick camp at Pretoria.” 

“ Do you know how badly he was wounded ? ” 

“ I do not. When I saw him he was with a 
crowd of eight Boers, who had gathered around 
a fallen officer. Then came a rush of the line, 
and he went down in a twinkle. I trust, for your 
sake, that he is alive. ” 

“ If he is in Pretoria, I don’t believe I can get to 
him.” 

“ Don’t be so sure of that. Lord Roberts is push- 
ing forward steadily and will soon reach the Vaal 
River.” 

This news was correct, for a portion of the British 
army crossed the Vaal on the queen’s birthday, 
and about the same time Lord Roberts annexed the 
Orange Free State as a British colony. 


THE FALL OF PRETORIA — CONCLUSION 349 


The fighting was bitter, and grew hotter as the 
English approached Johannesburg, and many were 
the threats to blow up the valuable mines located 
in and around that city. The Boers were scattered 
over a wide expanse of territory, and the soldiers of 
the queen had to keep close together for fear of 
having some detachment cut off and captured. 

At last Johannesburg gave up and many British 
prisoners were released, and then the advance was 
straight on the Transvaal capital. Here it was 
feared that the Boers would make a final desperate 
stand, but they were far outnumbered and saw how 
useless would be such a struggle, and at the last 
moment the whole army retreated to the north- 
ward, taking many of the Dutch families with 
them. 

It was a great day when the British army 
marched into Pretoria, with flags flying and bands 
playing the national airs. Soon the Union Jack 
was waving proudly from the Government Building, 
and every British subject was cheering lustily for 
the queen and Lord Roberts. The war had lasted 
nearly eight months, and had tried the resources of 
Great Britain to the utmost. With the downfall 
of Pretoria it was felt on all sides that the Dutch 


350 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


struggle for independence, courageous as it had 
been, must soon cease. 

Three days after Pretoria was taken, Dave arrived 
there, tired to death after his long ride, but as 
anxious as ever to find his father. He soon found 
out where the Boer’s sick had been kept, and made 
his way to the place with all speed. 

As he entered the hospital he was shocked to see, 
lying upon a rude couch, the form of Hendrik 
Kneip. The Dutchman had been shot through the 
neck, and was slowly dying of a wound which no 
surgeon could operate upon with success. His face 
was exceedingly thin, and his eyes seemed to start 
from their sockets as they were turned on the lad. 

“ Hendrik Kneip ! ” ejaculated Dave, and on the 
instant all the hard feelings he had had for the ras- 
cal melted away. “ Where are you wounded ? ” 

The man continued to stare, but did not answer. 
“ He can’t talk,” whispered an attendant. “ His 
throat is practically gone.” 

“ Horrible ! ” murmured Dave, and gave a shud- 
der. “ Kneip, I am sorry for you ! I would not 
like to see a dog suffer in this way,” and then he 
passed on. The Dutchman continued to stare at 
him until he was out of sight. H endrik Kneip died 


i 


THE FALL OF PRETORIA — CONCLUSION 351 


that night, in terrible agony, and was buried the 
next day with a number of other dead Dutchmen. 

Quarter of an hour later Dave learned that his 
father had been at the hospital, but had been trans- 
ferred to a friend’s house several squares away. 
Hither he made his way in all haste and mounted the 
broad piazza overgrown with native vines and flowers. 
“ Dave ! My own boy Dave ! ” 

The cry came from Martin Nelson, and turning, 
the youth saw his father resting in a hammock at 
one end of the piazza, while seated on a stool beside 
him was Ralph Nelson. 

“ Father ! ” cried the boy, and rushed to his par- 
ent. Each would have fairly hugged the other 
had not Ralph Nelson interposed. 

“ Go slow, Dave,” he said. “ Your father is 
still a very sick man. He has been wounded in 
the breast and also in the shoulder.” 

“ But you are out of danger, aren’t you, father ? ” 
“ Yes, Dave, — at least the doctor tells me so. 
But he says I must keep very quiet. But where 
have you been, and how did you get here ? ” 
“And where is Will?” put in Ralph Nelson. 
“ And do you know anything of your Aunt Isabel 
and little Alice ? ” 


352 


BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 


“ One question at a time, please,” answered Dave, 
half inclined to cry, he felt so happy. “Will and 
the others are in Ladysmith, and all are fairly well 
— or were when I left. I went to Mafeking to 
find father, and then followed Lord Roberts from 
Johannesburg to here.” 

“And what of Johannesburg,” asked his father. 
“ Are the mines safe ? ” 

“Yes, and so is every bit of the property belong- 
ing to you and Uncle Ralph. I don’t believe the 
Boers ever intended to blow the mines up.” 

“ You are right, lad. The Boers are not as bad 
as some folks make them out to be. I fought with 
them near Mafeking, as you know. But I must 
say I did it largely because I got mixed up in a 
battle while looking for you. I had heard that you 
had gone to Mafeking after coming from that hunt. 
I would have been killed had it not been for our 
friend Captain Barton, the animal hunter, with 
whom I was journeying at the time.” 

“And where is Captain Barton now?” asked Dave. 

“ Right here,” came a voice from a long open 
window, and the animal hunter stepped through 
and wrung the youth’s hand. “Glad to see you, 
and glad to know you are safe.” 


THE FALL O F PRETORIA — CONCLUSION 353 

As soon as they could settle down to it, each 
told his story in detail, to which the others listened 
with rapt attention. Then the subject shifted to 
the state of affairs around the ostrich farms, and 
Dave’s father told him that all was going well, 
excepting that the iDutch had confiscated the most 
of the cattle for military purposes. “ But they say 
they will pay up whon the war is ov er,” he added. 

“Never mind, let them have the cattle, father,” 
answered Dave. “I am thankful we have all come 
out alive ! ” And he gave his parent’s hand a 
squeeze that meant a good deal. 


Here let us bring to a close this « ale of adventure 


in South Africa before and during the terrible 


w'ar 


which had now lasted eight months, and which 
had cost 
sterling. 


had cost thousands of livek and millions of pounds 


With the British occupying Pretoria and the sur- 
rounding territory, it was considered perfectly safe 
for the Nelsons to return to their farms, and as 
soon as it could be accomplished Dave* and his 
father went back, while Ralph Nelson journeyed 
in a roundabout way to Ladysmith, to bring on his 
own family. At Ladysmith all were found even 


354 BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 

better off than when Dave had left them, and the 
meeting there was fully as joyous as had been that 
at Pretoria. On returning to the farms, it was 
decided that, for the present, all should reside at 
the Ralph Nelson homestead, along with Captain 
Barton, until the close of the war. 

“We’ll keep together in the; future,” said Ralph 
Nelson. “ It will be much more agreeable all 
around.” 

“Yes, and we can keep a better eye on the boys,” 
answered Martin Nelson. “ We don’t Avant them 
to get into any more trouble.” 

At this both Dave and W ill smiled broadly. But 
they had had enough of adventures for the time 
being : and here we vdlj leave them, knowing full 
well, that come Avhat may, they will ever remember 
the perils they encountered when caught, so to 

o^caR, BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON. 


THE OLD GLORY SERIES. 

By EDWARD STRATEMEYER, 

Author of “ The Bound to Succeed Series ” “ The Ship and Shore Series? etc. 

Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume, $1.25. 

UNDER DEWEY AT MANILA Or the War Fortunes of 
a Castaway. 

A YOUNG VOLUNTEER IN CUBA Or Fighting for the 
Single Star. 

FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS Or Under Schley on 
the Brooklyn. 

UNDER OTIS IN THE PHILIPPINES Or a Young Officer 
in the Tropics. 

THE CAMPAIGN OF THE JUNGLE Or Under Lawton 
through Luzon. 


PRESS NOTICES. 

“ * Under Dewey at Manila ’ is a thoroughly timely book, in perfect sympathy with 
the patriotism of the day. Its title is conducive to its perusing, and i»s reading to 
anticipation. For the volume is but the first of the Old Glory Series, and the im- 
print is that of the famed firm of Lee and Shepard, whose name has been for so many 
years linked with the publications of Oliver Optic. As a matter of fact, the story is 
right in line with the productions of that gifted and most fascinating of authors, and 
certainly there is every cause for congratulation that the stirring events of our recent 
war are not to lose their value for instruction through that valuable school which the 
late William T. Adams made so individually distinctive. 

“ Edward Stratemeyer, who is the author of the present work, has proved an extra- 
ordinarily apt scholar, and had the book appeared anonymously there could hardly 
have failed of a unanimous opinion that a miracle had enabled the writer of the 
famous Army and Navy and other series to resume his pen for the volume in hand. 
Mr. Stratemeyer has acquired in a wonderfully successful degree the knack of writ- 
ing an interesting educational story which will appeal to the young people, and the 
plan of his trio of books as outlined cannot fail to prove both interesting and valu- 
able.” — Boston Ideas. 

“ Stratemeyer’s style suits the boys.” — John Terhune, Supt. of Public Instruc- 
ion, Bergen Co., Hew Jersey. 

* The Young Volunteer in Cuba,’ the second of the Old Glory Series, is better 
than the first; perhaps it traverses more familiar ground. Ben Russell, th* brother 
of Larry, who was * with Dewey,’ enlists with the volunteers and goes to Cuba, 
where he shares in the abundance of adventure and has a chance to show his courage 
and honesty and manliness, which win their reward. A good book for boys, giving 
a good deal of information in a most attractive form.” — Universalist Leader 


For sate by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, on receipt of gric* by 

LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, 

BOSTON. 


THE BOUND TO SUCCEED SERIES 

By EDWARD STRATETIEYER, 

A uthor of “ Under Dewey at Manila ,” etc. 

Three Volumes. Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume, $1.00. 


RICHARD DARE'S VENTURE Or Striking Out for 
Himself. 

OLIVER BRIGHT'S SEARCH Or The Mystery of 
a Mine. 

TO ALASKA FOR GOLD Or The Fortune Hunters 
of the Yukon. 


PRESS OPINIONS OF EDWARD STRATEMEYER’S BOOKS FOR YOUNG 

PEOPLE. 

“ In ‘ Richard Dare’s Venture,’ Edward Stratemeyer has fully sustained his repu- 
tation as an entertaining, helpful, and instructive writer for boys.” — Philadelphia 
Call. 

“ ‘ Richard Dare’s Venture,’ by Edward Stratemeyer, tells the story of a country 
lad who goes to New York to earn enough to support his widowed mother and 
orphaned sisters. Richard’s energy, uprightness of character, and good sense carry 
him through some trying experiences, and gain him friends.” — The Churchman , 
New York. 

“A breezy boy’s book is * Oliver Bright’s Search.’ The author has a direct, graphic 
style and every healthy minded youth will enjoy the volume.” — N. Y. Commercial 
A dvertiser. 

“ 1 Richard Dare’s Venture ’ is a fresh, wholesome book to put into a boy’s hands.” 
— St. Louis Post Dispatch. 

“ * Richard Dare’s Venture ’ is a wholesome story of a practical boy who made a 
way for himself when thrown upon his own resources.” — Christian Advocate. 

“It is such books as ‘Richard Dare’s Venture' that are calculated to inspire 
young readers with a determination to succeed in li»e, and to choose some honorable 
walk in which to find that success. The author, Edward Stratemeyer, has shown a 
judgment that is altogether too rare in the maker? of books for boys, in that he has 
avoided that sort of heroics in the picturing of the life of his hero which deals in 
adventures of the daredevil sort. In that respect a‘one the book commends itself to 
the favor of parents who have a regard for the education of their sons, but the story 
is sufficiently enlivening and often thrilling to satisfy the healthful desires of the 
young reader.”— Kansas City Star. 

“ Of standard writers of boys’ stories there is quit* * list, but those who have not 
read any by Edward Stratemeyer have missed a very goodly thing." — Boston Ideas . 


For sale by all booksellers, or will be sent , postpaid , receipt of Price by 

LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, 

BOSTON. 

Lb My ’04 


THE SHIP AND SHORE SERIES 

By EDWARD STRATEMEYER. 

Three Volumes. Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume, $1.00. 


THE LAST CRUISE OF THE SPITFIRE Or Luke 
Fosters Strange Voyage. 

REUBEN STONE’S DISCOVERY Or The Young 
Miller of Torrent Bend. 

TRUE TO HIMSELF Or Roger Strong’s Struggle 
for Place, (in press. ) 


PRESS OPINIONS OF EDWARD STRATEMEYER ’S BOOKS FOR YOUNG 

PEOPLE. 

“ Mr. Edward Stratemeyer is in danger of becoming very popular among the 
young people of the country.” — Burlington (Iowa) Hazuk-eye. 

“ ‘ The Last Cruise of the Spitfire ' is of deep interest to the bounding heart of an 
enthusiastic boy. The book leaves a good impression on a boy’s mind, as it teaches 
the triumph of noble deeds and true heroism.” — Kansas City (Mo.) Times . 

“ Let us mention in passing two admirable books for boys, ‘ Reuben Stone’s Dis- 
covery ’ and ‘Oliver Bright’s Search,’ by Edward Stratemeyer, with whom we are 
all acquainted. This last bit of his work is especially good, and the boy who gets 
one of these volumes will become very popular among his fellows until the book is 
worn threadbare.” — N. Y. Herald. 

“ A good sea-tale for boys is ‘ The Last Cruise of the Spitfire,’ by Edward Strate- 
meyer. There is plenty of adventure in it, a shipwreck, a cruise on a raft, and other 
stirring perils of the deep.” — Detroit (Mich.) journal. 

“ In a simple, plain, straightforward manner, Mr. Edward Stratemeyer endeavors 
to show his boy readers what persistency, honesty, and willingness to work have 
accomplished for his young hero, and his moral is evident. Mr. Stratemeyer is very 
earnest and sincere in his portraiture of young character beginning to shape itself to 
weather against the future. A book of this sort is calculated to interest boys, to feed 
their ambition with hope, and to indicate how they must fortify themselves against 
the wiles of vie e.” - - Boston Herald. 


For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, on receipt of price by 

LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, 

BOSTON. 













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